Wat 


m 

BBHBBBKBKSBI 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


OHC 


&*  .........  '"""' 


THE    GREAT   WESTERN   SERIES. 


i. 

GOING   WEST;    OB,  THE  PERILS  OF  A  POOR  EOT. 

II. 
OUT    WEST ;    OR,  ROUGHING  IT  ON  THE  GREAT  LAKES. 

III. 
LAKE   BREEZES;    OR,  THE  CRUISE  OF  THE  STLVANIA. 

IV. 
GOING    SOUTH;   OR,  YACHTING  ON  THE  ATLANTIC  COAST. 

V. 
DOWN   SOUTH;   OR,  YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA. 

VI. 
UP  THE  EIVEB;   OB,  YACHTING  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI. 

(In  Preu.) 


. 


THE  GREAT  WESTERN  SERIES 


DOWN  SOUTH 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA 


BY 


OLIVER    OPTIC 


AUTHOR    OP    YOUNG  AMERICA    ABROAD       THE    ARMY  AND    NAVY  SERIES 

THE  WOODVILLE  SERIES      THE   STARRY  FLAG  SERIES      THE  BOAT 

CLUB  STORIES      THE  LAKE  SHORE   SERIES      THE  UPWARD 

AND  ONWARD  SERIES      THE  YACHT  CLUB  SERIES 

THE    BIVEHDAI.E    STORIES     ETC. 


WITH  EIGHT  ILLUSTRATION'S 


BOSTON 
LEE    AND    SHEPARD    PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK    CHARLES  T.  DILLINGHAM 

1881 


COPYRIGHT, 

1880, 
BT  WILLIAM  T.  ADAMS. 


Elactrotyped  at  the  Boston  Stereotype  Foundry 
No.  4  Pearl  Street. 


PS 


A 


TO  MY  YOUNG  FRIEND, 

WILFORD    L.   WRIGHT, 

OF  CAIRO,  ILL., 

EX-PRESIDENT   OF  THE   NATIONAL  AMATEUR  PBES8  ASSOCIATION, 

WHO    HAD    THE    COUBAGE    AND     THE     SELF-DENIAL    TO 

RESIGN  HIS  OFFICE   IN  ORDER  TO   PROMOTE 

HIS  OWN  AND   OTHERS'  WELFARE, 


ftfeu 


IS  AFFECTIONATELY   DEDICATED. 


PREFACE. 


"DOWN  SOUTH"  is  the  fifth  and  last  volume  but  one  of 
the  "Great  Western  Series."  The  action  of  the  story  is 
confined  entirely  to  Florida ;  and  this  fact  may  seem  to  belie 
the  title  of  the  Series.  But  the  young  yachtman  still  main 
tains  his  hold  upon  the  scenes  of  his  earlier  life  in  Michigan, 
and  his  letters  come  regularly  from  that  State.  If  he  were 
old  enough  to  vote,  he  could  do  so  only  in  Michigan ;  and 
therefore  he  has  not  lost  his  right  to  claim  a  residence  there 
during  his  temporary  sojourn  in  the  South.  Besides,  half 
his  ship's  company  are  Western  boys,  who  carry  with  them 
from  "The  Great  Western  "  family  of  States  whatever  influ 
ence  they  possess  in  their  wanderings  through  other  sec 
tions  of  the  grand  American  Union. 

The  same  characters  who  have  figured  in  other  volumes 
of  the  Series  are  again  presented,  though  others  are  intro- 
.duced.  The  hero  is  as  straightforward,  resolute,  and  self- 
reliant  as  ever.  His  yacht  adventures  consist  of  various 
excursions  on  the  St.  Johns  River,  from  its  moutn  to  a  point 
above  the  head  of  ordinary  navigation,  with  a  run  across  to 
Indian  River,  on  the  sea-coast,  a  trip  up  the  Ocklawaha, 
to  the  Lake  Country  of  Florida,  and  shorter  runs  up  the 
smaller  streams.  The  yachtmen  and  his  passengers  try  their 

vii 

45261.0. 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

hand  at  shooting  alligators  as  well  as  more  valuable  game 
in  the  "  sportsman's  paradise  "  of  the  South,  and  find  excel 
lent  fishing  in  both  fresh  and  salt  water. 

Apart  from  the  adventures  incident  to  the  cruise  of  the 
yacht  in  so  interesting  a  region  as  Florida,  the  volume,  like 
its  predecessors  in  the  Series,  has  its  own  story,  relating  to 
the  life-history  of  the  hero.  But  his  career  mingles  with 
the  events  peculiar  to  the  region  in  which  he  journeys,  and 
many  of  his  associates  are  men  of  the  "  sunny  South."  In 
any  clime,  he  is  the  same  young  man  of  high  aims  and 
noble  purposes.  The  remaining  volume  will  follow  him  in 
his  cruise  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  up  the  Mississippi. 

DORCHESTER,  MASS.,  August  25, 1880. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGE 

MAKING  A  FLORIDA  PORT        ......        13 

CHAPTER  II. 
OCR  LIBERAL  PASSENGERS 23 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  NATIVE  FLORIDIAN       .        .        .        .        .        .        .        33 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  TRIP  UP  THE  SAN  SEBASTIAN 43 

CHAPTER  V. 
SAVED  FROM  THE  BURNING  HOUSE          ....        53 

CHAPTER  VI. 
MOONLIGHT  AND  Music  ON  BOARD         ....        63 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  ENEMY  IN  A  NEW  BUSINESS    .        .        .    ,    .        .        73 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  DISAGREEABLE  ROOM-MATE 83 

ix 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   IX.  PAGB 

A  BATTLE  WITH  THE  SERPENT         .....        93 

CHAPTER  X. 
THE  FELLOW  IN  THE  LOCK-OP 103 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  HON.  PARDON  TIFFANY'S  WARNING         ...       113 

CHAPTER  XII. 
SUGGESTIONS  OF  ANOTHER  CONSPIRACY  .        .        .      123 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

MR.    COBBINGTON   AND    HIS    PET   RATTLESNAKE  .  .         133 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  EXCURSION  TO  FORT  GEORGE  ISLAND     .        .        .      148 

CHAPTER  XV. 
A  WAR  OF  WORDS 153 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
GRIFFIN  LEEDS  AT  A  DISCOUNT       .....      163 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
POOR  GRIFF  AND  HIS  COUNSEL        .  .  173 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  EXCURSION  TO  MANDARIN        .....      183 

» 

CHAPTER   XIX. 
THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AN  INVALID   .         .        .        .        .       193 

CHAPTER   XX. 
DIFFICULTIES  IN  THE  WAY  OF  DEPARTURE     .         .         .       203 


CONTENTS.  XI 

CHAPTER   XXI.  PAGE 

A  VISIT  TO  OBANGE  PARK 213 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
FISHING  IN  DOCTOR'S  LAKE 223 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
TROLLING  FOR  BLACK  BASS 233 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
GREEN  COVE  SPRINGS  AND  GOVERNOR'S  CREEK     .        .      243 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
ALLIGATOR-SHOOTING  ON  BLACK  CREEK          ...      253 

CHAPTER   XXVI. 

ON  BOARD  OF  THE  WETUMPKA 263 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

UP   THE    OCKLAWAHA   TO    LAKE    GRIFFIN  ...         278 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
AN  EXPEDITION  TO  INDIAN  RIVER  .        .        .        .        .      283 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
A  MYSTERIOUS  SHOT 293 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

SHOOTING  IN  THE  FOREST  AND  BEING  SHOT  .        .        .      303 


DOWN  SOUTH; 

OB, 

YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

MAKING   A    FLORIDA    PORT. 

"  nHHAT'S  it,  as  true  as  you  live,  Captain  Alick  !  " 
JL  exclaimed  Bob  Washburn,  the  mate  of  the 
Sylvania,  as  he  dropped  the  spy-glass  from  his 
right  eye.  "  Your  dead-reckoning  was  correct  every 
time." 

"I  have  no  doubt  you  are  right,  Washburn," 
I  replied,  referring  to  an  open  volume  that  lay  on 
the  shelf  under  the  forward  windows  of  the  pilot 
house.  "'A  square  tower,  painted  white,  sixty- 
eight  feet  above  the  sea,'"  I  continued,  reading 
from  the  Coast  Pilot.  "But  there  is  another 
tower,  more  than  twice  that  height.  Ah,  here  is 
a  note  in  pencil  I  made :  '  The  government  has 

13 


14  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

built  a  new  tower,  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet 
high.'" 

"  That  must  be  St.  Augustine  Light :  there  can 
be  no  possible  doubt  of  it.  It  fits  the  description  ; 
and  that  is  exactly  where  we  ought  to  find  it," 
added  the  mate. 

The  Sylvania  had  been  on  a  ten  weeks'  cruise 
to  Nassau,  Havana,  and  the  Bermuda  Islands. 
In  Havana  we  had  been  startled  by  the  report  of 
a  few  cases  of  yellow  fever,  and  we  had  hastily 
departed  for  the  Bermudas,  where  we  had  cruised 
by  sea  and  journeyed  by  land  for  a  month.  The 
steam-yacht  was  now  on  her  return  to  Florida. 
The  weather  had  been  thick  and  rainy,  and  for  the 
last  two  days  I  had  failed  to  obtain  an  observa 
tion.  But  we  had  heaved  the  log  every  two  hours, 
though  there  was  rarely  a  variation  of  half  a  knot 
from  our  regular  speed.  We  had  made  careful 
calculations  and  allowances  for  the  current  of  the 
Gulf  Stream,  and  the  result  was  that  we  came  out 
right  when  we  made  the  Florida  coast. 

We  had  two  sets  of  instruments  on  board ;  and 
Washburn  and  myself  had  each  made  an  indepen 
dent  observation,  when  the  sky  was  clear  enough 
to  permit  us  to  do  so,  and  had  ciphered  out  the 
latitude  and  longitude.  We  had  also  figured  up 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  15 

the  dead-reckoning  separately,  as  much  for  prac 
tice  as  to  avoid  mistakes.  We  had  varied  a  little 
on  the  dead-reckoning,  and  it  proved  that  I  was 
the  nearer  right,  as  the  position  of  St.  Augustine 
Light  proved. 

The  steam-yacht  was  under  charter  for  a  year  to 
my  cousin,  Owen  Garningham,  a  young  English 
man,  who  was  spending  the  winter  in  the  South. 
The  after  cabin  was  occupied  by  four  other  per 
sons,  who  were  his  guests,  —  Colonel  Shepard, 
his  wife,  son,  and  daughter.  Miss  Edith,  the 
daughter,  was  Owen's  "bright  particular  star," 
and  she  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  young  ladies 
I  ever  saw.  I  may  add  that  she  was  as  gentle  and 
amiable  as  she  was  pretty.  All  the  Shepard  fam 
ily  were  very  pleasant  people,  invariably  kind  to 
the  ship's  company ;  and  though  the  Colonel  was 
a  very  wealthy  man,  none  of  them  ever  "  put  on 
airs  "  in  their  relations  with  the  crew. 

Though  I  did  not  pride  myself  on  the  fact  that 
some  of  my  ship's  company  had  "  blue  blood  "  in 
their  veins,  I  certainly  believed  that  no  vessel  was 
ever  manned  by  a  more  intelligent,  gentlemanly, 
and  skilful  crew.  Robert  C.  Washburn,  the  mate, 
was  a  college  student,  who  would  return  to  his 
studies  at  the  end  of  the  voyage.  He  was  one 


16  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

of  the  best  fellows  I  had  ever  met,  and  was  com 
petent  to  command  any  vessel,  on  any  voyage, 
so  far  at  least  as  its  navigation  and  management 
were  concerned.  We  were  devoted  friends ;  but 
he  received  his  wages  and  did  his  duty  as  though 
he  and  I  had  had  no  other  relations  than  those  of 
captain  and  mate. 

Moses  Brickland,  the  chief  engineer,  was  the 
son  of  my  guardian ;  and  though  he  was  still  in 
his  teens,  he  was  competent  to  build  an  engine,  or 
to  run  it  after  it  was  built.  Bentley  F.  Bowman, 
the  assistant  engineer,  was  a  full-grown  man,  and 
had  a  certificate,  besides  being  one  of  the  best  sea 
men  I  ever  sailed  with.  Our  steward,  who  was 
our  only  waiter  until  we  sailed  from  Jacksonville 
in  December,  had  been  chief  steward  of  a  large 
Western  steamer,  and  fully  understood  all  branches 
of  his  business.  He  was  on  the  present  voyage  for 
the  benefit  of  his  health.  Buck  Lingley  and  Hop 
Tossford,  the  deck-hands,  were  young  English 
men,  belonging  to  the  "  first  families,"  and  were 
friends  of  my  cousin  Owen ;  but  two  more  daring, 
resolute,  and  skilful  young  seamen  never  trod  a 
deck.  The  two  firemen  were  young  machinists  I 
had  shipped  at  Montreal  when  they  were  out  of 
work.  They  were  brothers,  and  the  sons  of  a 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  17 

Vermont  farmer.  Washington  Gopher,  an  excel 
lent  cook,  was  a  gray-haired  colored  man,  who 
had  rendered  the  best  of  service  on  board. 

The  Sylvania  had  come  all  the  way  from  Lake 
St.  Clair,  and  it  was  expected  that  she  would 
return  there.  The  steam-yacht  was  my  property, 
so  far  as  a  minor  could  hold  property.  She  had 
been  presented  to  me  by  the  head  of  a  wealthy 
Western  family  for  a  valuable  service  I  had  ren 
dered.  I  had  cruised  in  the  Great  Lakes,  in  her, 
and  had  had  some  exciting  adventures  on  board. 

I  had  spent  my  earliest  days  in  the  poor-house 
of  a  Maine  town,  from  which  a  down-east  skipper 
had  taken  me  for  the  work  I  could  do.  But  I 
was  afterwards  found  near  Lake  St.  Clair  by  my 
father,  after  a  long  and  diligent  search.  But  he 
had  been  obliged  to  leave  me  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Brickland,  my  ever  faithful  friend  and  guardian, 
while  he  went  to  England  to  attend  to  some  fam 
ily  affairs.  He  left  property  enough  to  make  me 
independent  for  life,  but  it  had  all  been  lost  by  a 
fire,  and  I  had  nothing  but  the  Sylvania. 

The  steam-yacht  afforded  me  an  abundant  sup 
port  while  she  was  under  charter  to  my  cousin. 
Owen  was  the  next  heir  to  me  of  my  father's  title 
of  baronet  and  his  large  estate.  One  Pike  Car- 


18  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

rington,  my  father's  solicitor,  had  persuaded  my 
cousin  to  enter  into  some  vague  conspiracy  to 
"get  rid  of  me  in  some  manner."  But,  with  the 
aid  of  Washburn,  I  had  discovered  the  plot ;  and 
having  the  good  fortune  to  save  Owen's  life  in  a 
storm,  before  he  was  fairly  committed  to  the  con 
spiracy,  he  had  become  my  fast  friend. 

My  cousin's  mother  was  very  rich,  and  it  ap 
peared  that  she  gave  him  money  without  stint  or 
limit.  Carrington  had  bought  the  sister  yacht  of 
the  Sylvania,  the  Islander,  which  was  to  take  part 
in  the  conspiracy  against  me,  and  in  which  the 
solicitor  had  followed  the  Sylvania  to  Florida. 
He  had  employed  Captain  Parker  Boomsby,  the 
down-east  skipper,  then  settled  in  Michigan,  to 
command  her,  and  to  assist  in  carrying  out  his 
plan.  One  feature  of  the  scheme  was  to  make  me 
believe  that  my  father  was  dead ;  and  for  months 
I  did  believe  it.  Captain  Boomsby  claimed  that  I 
had  been  w  bound  out "  to  him  till  I  was  twenty- 
one  ;  and  he  insisted  upon  the  possession  of  my 
person  and  my  property  as  much  as  though  I  had 
been  his  slave.  My  father  had  made  an  arrange 
ment  with  him  by  which  he  had  abandoned  all  his 
interest  in  me,  but  at  the  reported  death  of  my 
father,  Carrington  had  induced  him  to  assert  his 
claim  again. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  19 

Captain  Boomsby  had  followed  me  to  Florida  in 
the  Islander,  with  the  solicitor  as  his  passenger. 
The  former  had  evidently  undertaken  "  to  get  rid 
of  me ; "  but,  instead  of  doing  this,  he  had  sacri 
ficed  the  solicitor.  Both  he  and  the  lawyer  had 
become  hard  drinkers,  and  in  the  Captain's  at 
tempt  to  wreck  me,  he  had  sunk  the  Islander  and 
drowned  his  employer.  I  judged  that  this  would 
be  the  end  of  the  conspiracy ;  and  so  it  was,  so 
far  as  my  cousin  Owen  and  the  solicitor  were  con 
cerned,  but  not  on  the  part  of  Captain  Boomsby. 

I  had  left  my  "  ancient  enemy,"  as  I  had  a  right 
to  regard  Captain  Boomsby,  at  Jacksonville  when 
we  sailed  for  the  West  Indies.  I  knew  that  his 
experiment  of  making  money  in  Michigan  had 
been  a  failure,  and  that  he  was  looking  for  a  more 
hopeful  field  of  operations  in  some  other  section 
of  the  country.  One  of  his  men  told  me  that 
he  intended  to  run  the  Sylvania  on  the  St.  Johns 
River  as  a  passenger  boat,  and  that  he  felt  sure 
of  obtaining  possession  of  her,  because,  he  as 
serted,  he  was  the  rightful  owner  of  her.  The 
paper  he  had  signed  was  destroyed  with  the  rest 
of  my  valuables. 

As  the  steam-yacht  approached  the  coast  of 
Florida  I  did  not  even  think  of  my  ancient  en- 


20  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

emy.  I  had  left  him  in  Jacksonville,  where  he 
was  drinking  all  he  could  carry,  every  day.  He 
was  terribly  bitter  and  revengeful  towards  me ; 
for  though  my  father  had  paid  him  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  to  appease  him,  rather  than  to 
satisfy  any  just  claim  he  had  upon  me,  he  could 
never  be  content  until  he  obtained  all  that  could 
be  had,  either  by  fair  means  or  by  foul.  There 
was  no  more  principle  in  him  than  there  was  in  a 
paving-stone. 

"That  is  St.  Augustine  Light,"  I  continued. 
"There  can  be  no  mistake  about  it,  for  there  is 
not  another  light  within  thirty-five  miles  of  it ; 
and  we  could  not  have  gone  so  wide  of  the  mark 
as  that." 

"You  are  right,  Captain  Alick,  as  you  always 
are,"  laughed  the  mate. 

"  None  of  that,  Bob  !  You  know  as  well  as  the 
next  fellow  that  I  am  not  always  right ;  I  wish  I 
were.  How  was  it  about  going  into  St.  George?" 
I  replied. 

"The  exception  always  proves  the  rule.  I  was 
right  by  accident  that  time.  But  you  never  go 
ahead  till  you  are  sure  where  you  are  going." 

"I  shall  not  this  time,"  I  added,  turning  to 
the  Coast  Pilot  again.  "'Vessels  coming  from 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  21 

the  northward  will  run  down  till  the  lighthouse 
bears  west  by  north,  keeping  in  three  fathoms  of 
water,' "  I  continued,  reading  from  the  book. 

We  kept  the  Sylvania  moving  at  about  half- 
speed  until  the  tower  bore  in  the  required  direc 
tion  ;  then  the  mate  directed  Buck  Lingley,  who 
was  on  watch  forward,  to  heave  the  lead. 

"Mark  under  water  three,"  reported  the  deck 
hand. 

"That's  all  right,"  I  added.  "Now  how  is  the 
tide?" 

We  could  cross  the  bar  only  when  the  water 
was  above  half-tide ;  and  this  was  an  important 
question.  We  found  from  our  nautical  almanac 
that  it  would  be  half-tide  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
forenoon ;  and  it  was  not  yet  seven  in  the  morn 
ing  by  the  corrected  time.  We  were  as  near  the 
coast  as  I  cared  to  go.  We  could  just  make  out 
the  square  tower  of  the  light-house  in  the  fog, 
and  I  was  not  willing  to  trust  myself  in  unknown 
waters  near  the  shore  without  a  pilot.  I  directed 
Washburn  to  stop  the  engine,  and  keep  a  sharp 
lookout  for  the  drift  of  the  steamer. 

Leaving  the  pilot-house,  I  went  forward,  and 
presently  discovered  a  pilot-boat  coming  out  of 
the  inlet.  One  of  her  crew  was  waving  a  flag  to 


22  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

the  port  side  from  her  bow.  This  meant  that  we 
were  to  bear  to  starboard.  I  told  the  mate  to  go 
ahead,  bearing  to  the  northward.  In  a  few  min 
utes  more  \ve  had  a  pilot  on  board,  whose  first 
question  was  as  to  our  draft  of  water.  I  gave  it 
as  nine  feet,  though  it  was  considerably  less  when 
we  had  nearly  emptied  our  coal-bunkers.  The 
pilot  decided  that  we  must  wait  a  couple  of 
hours. 

The  sun  rose  at  6.26  on  the  first  day  of  March, 
which  was  just  ten  minutes  earlier  than  at  Detroit. 
It  soon  burned  off"  the  fog  inshore,  so  that  we  could 
see  the  ancient  city  of  St.  Augustine.  Our  pas 
sengers,  who  had  become  so  accustomed  to  sea- 
life  that  they  did  not  turn  out  before  eight  in  the 
morning,  soon  began  to  appear.  With  the  pilot 
at  the  wheel  we  went  over  the  bar  before  nine, 
and  a  run  of  two  miles  more  brought  us  to  our 
anchorage  off  the  sea-wall. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  23 


CHAPTER  II. 

OUR    LIBERAL    PASSENGERS. 

"  TTTHERE  are  we  now,  Alick,  my  boy?"  asked 

»  V  my  cousin  Owen  Garningham,  as  he  came 
on  deck  after  we  had  anchored  off  the  pier. 

"We  are  at  St.  Augustine,  the  oldest  city  in 
the  United  States,  founded  by  the  Spaniards  in 
1565  —  " 

"Cut  it  short,  if  you  please,  my  affectionate 
cousin,"  interposed  Owen,  with  an  affected  yawn. 
"  I  haven't  been  to  breakfast  yet ;  and  surely  you 
don't  expect  me  to  learn  history  s0  early  in  the 
morning.  I  simply  asked  you  where  we  were, 
and  you  go  back  over  three  hundred  years  to 
answer  the  question." 

''  I  thought  you  might  want  to  know  something 
about  the  place,"  I  replied. 

"  Exactly  so.     Where  are  we  ?  " 

"We  are  here." 

Owen  bit  his  lip,  smiled,  and  then  looked  about 
him  at  the  various  objects  in  sight. 


24  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"  If  you  will  tell  me  exactly  what  you  want  to 
know,  I  will  answer  your  questions ;  at  least,  I 
will  tell  you  all  I  know,"  I  added. 

"  Don't  do  that :  it  would  take  too  long,"  he 
replied,  yawning  again. 

"Thank  you." 

"I  wouldn't  listen  to  all  a  fool  knew  before 
breakfast ;  and  it  would  take  you  two  years  to  tell 
all  you  know,  sweet  cousin." 

"  Not  so  long  as  that.  We  made  the  land  about 
six  this  morning,  in  a  fog  —  " 

"  You  made  the  land  !  Well,  you  didn't  have  a 
very  bad  job  of  it,  for  it  is  nothing  but  house 
sand.  Of  course  I  know  we  are  somewhere  on 
the  coast  of  Florida,  for  when  we  left  the  Ber 
mudas  we  were  bound  to  St.  Augustine.  We  have 
got  there,  you  say ;  and  I  thank  you  for  telling 
me.  After  breakfast,  when  I  have  a  cigar,  I  will, 
with  your  leave,  read  the  history  of  the  place." 

"  You  have  my  permission ;  and  I  will  furnish 
the  book  from  which  you  may  read  it." 

"  Thanks.  Now,  could  you,  Alick,  without 
straining  yourself  too  much,  tell  me  something 
about  what  we  may  see  by  looking  about  us  in 
just  this  place  —  never  mind  the  other  parts  of 
the  State,"  continued  Owen,  looking  around  him. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  25 

WI  will  tell  you  all  I  know  about  it,"  I  replied. 

"I  wish  everybody  would  tell  only  that." 

"  The  opening  you  see  oh  the  other  side  of  the 
bay,  and  through  which  we  came  in  from  sea,  is 
between  Anastasia  Island  on  the  south,  and  the 
main  land  on  the  north.  The  \vater  to  the  north 
and  south  of  us,  inside  the  land,  is  Matanzas  River. 
The  works  you  see  to  the  north  is  Fort  Marion. 
The  sea-wall  extends  from  that  to  the  point,  south 
of  us,  a  mile  :  it  is  built  of  coquina,  a  kind  of  rock 
quarried  on  Anastasia  Island,  formed  of  sand  and 
shells—" 

"  Spare  me,  cousin  !  " 

"From  the  point  to  the  south  of  us,  you  see  an 
opening  in  the  land  :  that  is  the  mouth  of  the  San 
Sebastian  River.  The  city  of  St.  Augustine  is 
built  on  the  tongue  of  land  between  the  two  rivers. 
The  buildings  near  the  point  are  the  United  States 
Barracks.  The  structure  extending  out  into  the 
river  from  the  sea- Avail  is  a  wharf  or  pier,  built  for 
the  convenience  of  vessels  landing  freight  or  pas 
sengers." 

"  But  what  does  a  vessel  do  that  has  both  freight 
and  passengers?"  asked  Owen,  gravely.-  "I  dare 
say  she  has  to  go  to  Jacksonville,  where  they  have 
more  than  one  wharf." 


26  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"  I  stand  corrected  :  a  vessel  landing  passengers 
and  freight,"  I  added.  "But  I  can't  say,  of  my 
own  knowledge,  that  the  same  vessel  lands  both 
here,  for  I  never  saw  the  place  before  in  my 
life." 

"  It  is  well  to  be  sure,"  said  Owen,  as  the  break 
fast-bell  rang. 

Before  we  left  Jacksonville  in  December,  I  had 
taken  an  additional  person  on  board,  who  did  duty 
in  the  cabin  as  a  waiter.  Though  Peeks,  the 
steward,  never  complained,  I  saw  that  he  had  too 
much  to  do.  The  distance  from  the  cook's  galley 
to  the  companion-way  of  the  after  cabin  made  it 
hard  work  to  serve  the  table  in  the  latter. .  The 
distance  to  the  forward  cabin,  where  the  ship's 
company  messed,  was  hardly  less.  I  found  that 
the  officers  and  crew  sometimes  had  to  wait  for 
their  meals,  and  that  the  discipline  of  the  vessel 
was  thus  broken  in  upon.  The  steward  and  the 
waiter  had  about  all  they  could  do  to  take  care  of 
the  five  passengers  in  the  after  cabin,  who  were 
very  uncertain  in  their  hours  in  the  morning. 

I  had  decided  to  have  another  waiter  for  the 
forward  cabin,  and  thus  allow  Peeks  to  do  the 
proper  work  of  a  chief  steward  in  looking  out  for 
the  whole  of  his  department.  We  had  been  in  port 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  27 

so  much  during  the  Avinter  that  I  found  I  could 
well  afford  the  additional  expense,  for  my  pay 
ments  had  been  less  than  the  estimate.  Though  we 
were  to  cruise  on  the  St.  Johns  River  and  other 
streams  during  the  month,  there  would  be  a  great 
deal  of  boat- work  for  the  deck-hands  and  firemen, 
for  the  latter  did  not  complain  if  called  to  other 
duty  than  that  of  the  fire-room,  and  by  this  time 
were  good  sailors. 

I  went  to  my  breakfast,  which  had  been  waiting 
an  hour  for  me  on  the  galley,  for  I  never  left  the 
deck  till  the  anchor  was  overboard.  There  was 
no  one  to  bring  my  meal,  and  the  mate's  watch  had 
taken  theirs  while  I  was  talking  to  Owen.  It  was 
half  an  hour  before  the  steward  or  the  waiter  could 
attend  to  my  wants ;  and  the  dignity  of  the  com 
mander  of  the  Sylvania  did  not  permit  him  to  carry 
his  own  breakfast  from  the  galley,  while  there  were 
passengers  on  board.  I  hoped  I  should  be  able  to 
find  another  waiter  at  St.  Augustine,  though  I 
supposed  they  would  all  be  in  demand  at  the  hotels. 
At  last  I  heard  the  voices  of  the  passengers  on 
deck.  I  did  not  ring  the  call-bell  on  the  table 
until  I  was  sure  they  had  finished  their  morning 
meal,  for  all  on  board  made  it  a  point  to  give  up 
everything  for  them., 


28  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"I  haven't  had  my  breakfast  yet,"  I  said,  as 
Peeks  came  down  into  the  cabin.  "I  have  been 
waiting  here  half  an  hour  for  it." 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  but  it  happens  so  sometimes, 
even  when  I  do  my  best,"  replied  Peeks,  evidently 
much  disturbed  by  the  situation.  "  It  is  all  I  can 
do,  with  the  waiter,  to  get  what  the  passengers 
want  when  they  all  come  to  the  table  at  once.  We 
have  to  cook  everything  after  they  order  it,  or  it 
would  not  be  fit  to  eat." 

"  I  don't  blame  you,  and  I  have  no  fault  to  find," 
I  added,  soothingly.  "I  shall  give  you  another 
waiter  as  soon  as  one  can  be  found." 

"  I  think  we  need  another.  If  the  meals  could 
be  served  at  fixed  hours,  we  could  get  along  very 
well ;  but  the  passengers  take  their  breakfast  any 
where  from  eight  to  eleven." 

"  I  understand  it  perfectly ;  but  they  have  a 
right  to  do  just  as  they  please,  and  t  shall  not  in 
terfere  with  their  habits,"  I  replied  ;  and  the  stew 
ard  Avent  for  my  breakfast. 

It  was  fifteen  minutes  before  he  returned,  for 
Gopher  insisted  on  using  me  as  well  as  those  that, 
wit  at  the  cabin-table  when  I  was  late  to  my  meals, 
and  cooked  me  a  fresh  dish  of  ham  and  eggs.  I 
was  blessed  with  a  good  appetite,  and  still  liked 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  29 

country  fare  best,  though  Gopher  made  hotel  dishes, 
with  French  names,  for  the  after  cabin.  When  I 
went  on  deck,  I  found  Owen  smoking  his  cigar  in 
the  pilot-house.  He  was  reading  one  of  a  pile  of 
Florida  guide-books  I  had  procured  in  Jackson 
ville,  which  I  had  placed  by  the  binnacle  for  his  use. 

"  I  have  been  waiting  for  you,  Captain  Alick," 
said  he. 

"And  I  have  been  waiting  for  my  breakfast.  I 
shall  get  another  waiter,  so  that  no  one  will  have 
to  wait,"  I  answered. 

"Well,  I  was  in  no  hurry,  my  dear  fellow :  if  I 
had  been,  I  should  have  sent  for  you.  This  is  the 
first  day  of  March.  Have  you  the  accounts  ?  " 

I  had  them  all  ready,  and  went  to  my  desk  in 
my  room,  just  abaft  the  pilot-house,  for  them.  I 
gave  them  to  him,  but  he  hardly  condescended  to 
look  at  anything  except  the  total.  Throwing  away 
his  cigar,  he  went  into  my  room,  where  he  wrote 
all  his  letters,  and  seated  himself  at  his  desk.  I 
followed  him,  in  order  to  give  him  a  receipt. 

"Don't  leave,  Robsy,"  said  Owen  to  Washburn, 
as  the  mate  began  to  move  out  of  the  room. 

Washburn  resumed  his  toilet,  for  he  had  just 
donned  the  new  uniform,  with  which  all  hands  had 
provided  themselves  at  St.  George.  Owen  handed 


30  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

me  a  draft,  which  I  saw  was  for  just  three  hundred 
dollars  more  than  the  amount  of  the  bill  I  had 
rendered.  I  was  astonished  that  he  should  make 
such  a  mistake. 

"  This  is  not  correct,"  I  began,  as  soon  as  I  had 
looked  at  the  amount  of  the  draft. 

"  Quite  correct  ;•  but  I  see  you  have  got  to  make 
a  quarrel  with  me  ;  and  I  want  Robsy  to  stand  by 
me  in  this  fight,"  replied  Owen. 

"  Of  course  I  won't  take  three  hundred  dollars 
more  than  is  my  due,"  I  protested. 

"  Cut  it  short !  "  exclaimed  my  cousin.  "  I  told 
Colonel  Shepard  I  never  could  get  out  of  it  in  the 
world,  and  he  was  putting  a  load  on  me  I  could 
never  carry.  Where  is  that  bloody  contract? 
Will  you  do  me  the  favor  to  burn  it?" 

"  Certainly  not,"  I  replied.  "I  intend  to  keep 
my  copy,  and  to  abide  by  its  provisions." 

"Provisions  means  grub,  don't  it?" 

"  Sometimes  it  does ;  but  it  don't  now,"  I  replied, 
tossing  the  draft  on  the  desk,  at  which  he  was  still 
seated.  "]  will  take  only  what  is  due  me." 

"  But  I  have  had  a  row  with  Colonel  Shepard," 
protested  Owen.  "  He  said  he  should  insist  on 
paying  his  share  of  the  expenses  of  this  cruise 
before  we  left  Jacksonville ;  but  I  kept  him  quiet 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  ix  FLORIDA.  31 

till  yesterday.  In  the  first  place,  as  we  have  put 
you  to  extra  expense,  Alick,  we  insisted  on  adding 
one  hundred  dollars  a  month  to  the  amount  I  was 
to  pay." 

I  objected,  and  explained  that  I  had  been  obliged 
to  pay  only  the  expense  of  a  waiter,  as  he  paid  all 
the  coal  and  provision  bills,  but  he  persisted,  and 
finally  appealed  to  Washburn,  who  decided  _in  his 
favor.  As  I  agreed  to  the  decision  of  the  umpire 
beforehand,  I  had  to  submit. 

"  I  made  it  up  with  the  Colonel  by  letting  him 
pay  half  of  the  bills,  though  he  would  pay  four- 
fifths  of  them  at  first,"  chuckled  Owen,  as  though 
he  had  won  a  victory  over  his  fellow-passenger. 

I  had  paid  every  one  of  the  ship's  company  his 
wages  when  they  were  due ;  I  had  painted  the 
steamer  at  St.  George,  while  the  passengers  were 
travelling  on  shore  ;  I  had  taken  in  a  large  supply 
of  engine  stores ;  and  still  had  about  eleven  hun 
dred  dollars  on  hand.  I  felt  that  I  was  getting 
rich  very  fast,  though  a  season  of  idleness  might 
scatter  all  my  wealth. 

By  this  time  our  passengers  had  seen  all  there 
was  to  be  seen  from  the  hurricane-deck  of  the 
steamer.  Though  the  sun  had  come  out,  it  was 
rather  a  cool  day  to  our  party,  who  had  spent  a 


32  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

portion  of  the  winter  in  the  tropics.  Owen  in 
formed  me  that  his  friends  desired  to  go  on  shore. 
I  had  hardly  sent  them  off  in  both  boats,  before  a 
well-dressed  gentleman  came  on  deck,  and  desired 
to  see  the  captain. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  33 


CHAPTER   HI. 

A   NATIVE    FLORIDIAN. 

THE  gentleman  who  wished  to  see  the  captain 
came  off  in  a  small  boat,  pulled  by  a  man  who 
might  have  been  a  mulatto,  a  Cuban,  or  a  Spaniard. 
I  noticed  that  he  was  a  fine-looking  fellow,  lightly 
but  handsomely  built.  If  he  had  been  brown, 
instead  of  slightly  yellow,  I  should  have  taken  him 
for  a  white  man.  He  had  a  fine  eye,  and  both  his 
form  and  his  face  attracted  my  attention. 

I  invited  the  gentleman  in  the  stern  sheets,  who 
wished  to  see  me,  to  come  on  board,  and  then 
conducted  him  to  my  state-room.  He  was  not 
more  than  thirty-five,  and  was  dressed  rather  jant- 
ily  in  a  suit  of  light-colored  clothes.  He  looked 
and  acted  like  a  gentleman,  and  his  speech  indi 
cated  that  he  was  a  person  of  refinement.  I  gave 
him  a  chair,  and  took  one  myself.  Washburn  had 
gone  ashore  in  one  of  the  boats,  and  I  had  the 
room  to  myself.  Before  he  seated  himself  he 
handed  me  a  card,  on  which  was  engraved  "  Kirby 
3 


34  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

Corn  wood."  There  was  nothing  more  to  indicate 
his  business. 

"  Take  a  seat,  Mr.  Cornwood,"  I  said,  when  I 
had  read  his  name. 

"  Thank  you,  Captain  Garningham,"  he  replied  : 
and  I  wondered  where  he  had  learned  my  name, 
for  I  had  not  yet  been  ashore  to  report  at  the 
custom-house. 

"You  will  excuse  me  for  calling  upon  you  so 
soon  after  your  arrival ;  but  business  is  business, 
and  sometimes  if  it  is  not  attended  to  in  season,  it 
can't  be  done  at  all." 

"  Quite  true,  sir ;  and  I  was  going  ashore  as  soon 
as  the  boats  returned  to  report  at  the  custom 
house,"  I  replied,  for  the  want  of  something  sensi 
ble  to  say.  "  I  do  not  remember  to  have  met  you 
before,  Mr.  Cornwood." 

"  I  dare  say  you  do  not  remember  it ;  but  I  have 
met  you  none  the  less." 

"  Indeed  !  Where  was  that  ?  "  I  asked,  looking 
the  stranger  over  again,  though  I  could  not  recall 
his  form  or  features. 

"  In  Jacksonville,  last  December.  I  was  at  the 
funeral  of  Mr.  Carrington,  and  I  saw  you  several 
times.  I  was  on  the  point  of  offering  my  services 
to  you  then,  as  I  shall  now,  when  I  learned  that 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  35 

you  were  soon  to  sail  for  the  West  Indies,"  answered 
Mr.  Cornwood,  with  a  very  pleasant  smile,  which 
might  have  captured  any  young  man  of  less  expe 
rience  in  the  ways  of  the  world  than  myself. 

In  spite  of  his  explanation  I  did  not  remember 
him.  I  had  met  a  great  many  people  at  the  time 
of  the  exciting  events  attending  the  arrival  of  the 
Sylvania  at  Jacksonville.  I  concluded  that  he  was 
some  dealer  in  provisions,  ice,  or  coal,  who  wished 
to  furnish  the  steamer  with  his  wares  ;  and  I  began 
to  lose  all  interest  in  the  interview.  I  had  a  great 
many  people  call  upon  me  who  wished  to  sell  some 
thing,  and  I  was  used  to  such  calls. 

"  I  am  willing  to  admit  that  it  is  my  fault,  but  I 
do  not  remember  you,  Mr.  Cornwood,"  I  replied, 
rather  coldly,  for  the  chief  engineer  bought  the 
coal,  and  the  steward  the  provisions  and  ice.  ' 

"  I  can  well  understand  why  you  should  not  re 
member  me,  Captain  Garningham,  for  you  met  a 
great  many  people  about  the  time  I  saw  you,  and 
your  mind  was  occupied  with  some  peculiar  mat 
ters,  such  as  the  sinking  of  the  other  steamer." 

"Exactly  so,"  I  answered,  looking  out  the  win 
dow,  as  though  I  was  ready  to  terminate  the  in 
terview. 

"As  I  said,  I  was  about  to  offer  my  services  to 


36  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

you  then ;  and  I  shall  take  the  liberty  to  do  so 
now,"  he  continued,  not  at  all  disturbed  by  any 
thing  I  said  or  did. 

"  I  don't  think  we  need  the  services  of  any  gen 
tleman  like  yourself." 

To  my  astonishment,  he  broke  into  a  laugh  ;  and 
it  was  some  time  before  he  could  proceed  with  his 
business.  I  was  not  aware  that  I  had  said  any 
thing  that  was  funny  :  if  I  had,  I  should  have  been 
highly  complimented  by  the  manner  in  which  my 
joke  was  received. 

"  This  is  not  the  first  time  I  have  been  taken  for 
a  gentleman,"  said  he,  as  soon  as  he  was  in  condi 
tion  to  speak. 

"  Then  you  think  I  made  a  mistake,  do  you? "  I 
asked. 

"  By  no  means  :  I  have  not  sunk  so  low  as  that 
yet ;  and  I  still  believe  I  am  a  gentleman,  what 
ever  anybody  else  may  think." 

He  paused,  and  I  waited  for  him  to  proceed  with 
his  business,  instead  of  asking  him  what  he  meant, 
as  he  evidently  expected  me  to  do. 

"Yes,  captain:  I  claim  to  be  a  gentleman,"  he 
continued,  when  I  showed  no  inclination  to  ask  any 
questions.  "I  belong  to  the  legal  profession,  though 
I  don't  work  at  it  now." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  37 

"I  am  sure  we  don't  need  any  law  on  board  of 
this  vessel  at  the  present  time,"  I  added. 

"  I  do  not  offer  my  services  in  that  capacity.  I 
am  a  native  Floridian,  a  regular  corn-cracker,"  he 
continued,  laughing.  "  I  was  born  and  raised  here 
in  St.  Augustine.  There  is  not  a  river,  lake,  har 
bor  or  inlet  in  all  Florida,  and  hardly  a  square 
mile  of  territory,  that  I  have  not  explored." 

"As  a  lawyer?"  I  asked;  and  his  plump  state 
ment  rather  attracted  my  attention. 

"  Certainly  not.  When  I  was  seventeen  I  began 
to  study  for  the  bar ;  but  my  health  broke  down, 
and  for  the  next  ten  years  I  roamed  over  the  state, 
now  at  my  own  expense,  and  then  as  a  member  of 
the  state  surveying  party,  or  the  government  coast- 
survey.  I  am  a  pilot  for  any  waters  in  Florida." 

"  Have  you  a  branch  or  a  warrant  ?  " 

"Nothing  of  the  sort:  I  am  only  an  amateur 
pilot.  I  am  a  hunter  and  a  fisherman,  and  I  know 
the  flora  and  the  fauna  of  the  State.  Seven  years 
ago  I  resumed  my  studies,  and  have  been  admitted 
to  the  bar.  But  my  health  would  not  allow  me  to 
spend  my  days  in  an  office  or  a  court-room.  Cap 
tain  Garningham,  I  offer  my  services  to  you  as  a 
guide  for  Florida." 

Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood   folded  his  arms  in  his 

452810 


38  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

chair,  and  looked  as  complacent  as  though  he  had 
just  informed  me  that  he  was  the  governor  of  the 
State.  He  evidently  believed  it  was  no  use  to  say 
anything  more,  and  he  was  silent. 

"I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  you,  Mr.  Corn- 
wood,  for  your  offer  of  service,"  I  replied.  "As 
you  are  a  guide  for  Florida,  could  you  inform  me 
where  the  custom-house  is  ?  " 

"  Can  I  inform  you  where  the  custom-house  is  !  " 
exclaimed  the  guide  for  Florida.  "  How  could  I 
have  been  born  and  raised  in  St.  Augustine  with 
out  knowing  where  the  custom-house  is  ?  " 

"I  don't  knoAV." 

He  looked  at  me  as  though  he  thought  I  was  a 
young  man  to  be  pitied.  Was  there  anything  re 
lating  to  Florida  that  he  did  not  know,  was  the 
expression  on  his  face.  He  could  take  me  to  any 
custom-house  in  the  State  by  land  or  water.  He 
could  tell  me  the  depth  of  any  lake,  stream,  or 
puddle  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Gulf. 

"  Having  accomplished  all  that  I  came  on  board 
for,  permit  me  to  take  my  leave,  with  the  hope 
that  you  will  consider  my  offer,"  said  Mr.  Corn- 
wood,  rising  from  his  chair.  "  I  shall  be  happy  to 
conduct  you  to  the  custom-house  when  you  go  on 
shore,  or  to  take  your  party  to  all  the  points  of 
interest  in  the  city." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  39 

M  Thank  you,  Mr.  Cornwood,"  I  replied. 

I  had  no  idea  that  he  intended  to  leave  me,  for 
one  does  not  get  rid  of  such  applicants  so  easily. 
He  bowed  gracefully,  and  much  to  my  astonish 
ment,  left  my  room,  walked  to  the  gangway,  and 
went  down  into  his  boat.  A  moment  later,  I  saw 
the  boatman  pulling  him  towards  the  landing-place. 
I  could  not  help  thinking  of  his  offer  after  he  had 
gone.  It  would  be  exceedingly  convenient  to  have 
a  man  on  board  all  the  time  who  could  guide  us  to 
any  object  of  interest.  He  was  a  pilot  for  any 
waters  of  the  State. 

But  I  felt  that  I  could  not  believe  more  than 
one-tenth  of  what  he  had  said.  I  sat  down,  and 
thought  over  the  matter.  An  extra  hundred  had 
just  been  added  to  my  monthly  stipend.  I  had  not 
thought  of  having  such  a  person  on  board  before 
he  suggested  the  idea.  I  had  expected  to  depend 
on  local  guides  for  information  and  direction. 

If  only  one-half  of  Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood's  story 
was  true,  and  he  could  perform  only  one-half  of 
what  he  promised,  he  would  be  a  valuable  person 
to  our  party.  He  was  airy  in  his  manner ;  but  I 
could  not  say  that  this  was  not  the  worst  part  of 
him.  If  he  had  spent  ten  years  of  his  life  with 
.state  and  national  surveys  and  exploring  parties, 


40  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

he  ought  to  be  very  familiar  with  the  travelled  lo 
calities  of  Florida.  I  was  rather  sorry  I  had  not 
detained  him  a  little  longer,  and  learned  something 
more  of  his  ability  to  do  what  he  said  he  could  do. 
But  I  could  find  him  again  ;  or  I  had  no  doubt  he 
would  soon  find  me.  If  he  had  not  left  me  with 
so  much  dignity,  and  without  pressing  his  offer  of 
service,  I  should  not  probably  have  given  a  second 
thought  to  him. 

Washburn's  boat  was  the  first  to  return,  and  I 
went  on  shore  in  it.  I  wanted  the  mate  to  see  Mr. 
Corn  wood ;  but  I  did  not  mention  him,  for  I  wanted 
my  friend  to  make  up  his  mind  in  regard  to  the 
Floridian  without  any  suggestion  from  me,  and 
without  his  knowing  that  he  was  doing  duty  as  a 
judge.  I  asked  Washburn  to  take  a  stroll  with 
me.  He  told  his  crew  he  should  not  want  them 
for  a  couple  of  hours,  and  we  walked  up  the  pier. 

When  we  reached  the  head  of  it,  I  saw  Mr. 
Cornwood  rushing  across  the  intersecting  street 
as  if  he  meant  business,  though  he  was  not 
headed  towards  me.  He  did  not  even  seem  to  see 
me  at  first ;  but  as  he  was  about  to  cross  my  path, 
he  could  not  well  help  doing  so.  He  raised  his 
Panama  hat,  and  bowed  politely  to  me.  He  evi 
dently  did  not  mean  to  stop  to  speak  to  me ;  but  I 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  41 

hailed  him,  and  asked  where  the  custom-house  was. 
He  described  the  building,  and  indicated  in  what 
direction  I  was  to  go. 

"If  you  will  excuse  me  for  a  few  moments, 
Captain  Garningham,  I  will  join  you,"  said  he, 
hurrying  along  towards  the  St.  Augustine  Hotel, 
which  faces  the  harbor. 

The  Floridian  certainly  did  not  seem  to  be  very 
anxious  to  make  an  engagement  with  me  ;  and  this 
fact  improved  his  chances  with  me.  I  went  to  the 
custom-house,  and  transacted  my  business  there. 
As  I  came  out  with  the  mate,  I  met  Mr.  Corn  wood 
at  the  door.  I  introduced  Washburn  to  him ;  and 
the  Floridian  was  as  polite  to  him  as  to  me. 

"  I  am  at  your  service,  gentlemen ;  and,  pardon 
me,  captain,  without  regard  to  any  future  engage 
ment,"  said  Mr.  Cornwood,  with  an  extra  flourish, 
as  he  turned  to  me. 

"  Thanks.  I  think  you  said  you  were  born  in 
Florida,"  I  added. 

"  Not  only  in  Florida,  but  here  in  St.  Augustine. 
If  you  doubt  my  statement,  I  will  show  you  the 
house  in  which  I  first  drew  the  breath  of  life,"  he 
replied,  with  a  deprecatory  smile. 

Showing  the  house  would  prove  it ;  but  I  thought 
more  of  the  fact  that  he  seemed  to  have  an  inkling 


42  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

of  my  trouble  in  regard  to  his  statements.  I  told 
him  I  was  willing  to  accept  his  statement  without 
seeing  the  house. 

"  My  father  and  mother  both  died  of  consump 
tion,"  he  continued.  "  They  came  down  here  from 
Virginia,  and  lived  twenty  years  longer  than  they 
would  in  the  Old  Dominion.  My  father  left  me 
twelve  thousand  dollars,  every  cent  of  which  I 
spent  in  travelling  in  this  state.  But  here  is  your 
party,  captain." 

Our  passengers  were  strolling  along  St.  George 
Street  when  we  met  them. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  43 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A   TRIP   UP   THE    SAN    SEBASTIAN. 

OITRANGE  as  it  may  seem,  the  Shepards, 
rO  though  they  had  resided  two  winters  in  Jack 
sonville,  had  never  been  to  St.  Augustine,  or  even 
up  the  St.  Johns  River.  The  state  of  Mrs.  Shep- 
ard's  health  had  not  permitted  her  to  travel  for 
several  years,  until  the  preceding  summer.  They 
had  simply  left  the  ancient  city  and  the  up-river 
glories  of  "  The  Land  of  Flowers  "  to  a  more  pro 
pitious  season  in  the  future. 

"How  do  you  like  the  looks  of  St.  Augustine, 
Miss  Edith?"  I  asked,  after  we  had  passed  the 
civilities  of  the  moment,  though  I  did  not  venture 
to  present  Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood  to  the  party. 

"  I  like  it  well  enough,"  replied  the  pretty  young 
lady,  with  something  like  a  yawn.  "But  I  am 
getting  tired  of  it  so  soon ;  for  we  have  seen  so 
many  old  Spanish  cities  in  Spain  and  in  the  West 
Indies,  that  St.  Augustine  reads  like  an  old  story." 

The  face  of  the  native  Floridian  wore  an  ex- 


44  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

pression  of  horror  as  he  listened  to  the  remark  of 
Miss  Edith.  Possibly  he  might  have  abated  his 
astonishment  at  this  partially  unfavorable  opinion 
of  his  native  city  if  he  had  known  that  she  and 
Owen  spent  most  of  their  time  in  thinking  of  other 
matters  than  an  old  city. 

"I  am  delighted  with  the  place,"  added  Mrs. 
Shepard.  "But  we  pass  various  objects  of  inter 
est  without  knowing  what  they  are.  We  have  not 
even  a  guide-book  to  help  us  out." 

Mr.  Cornwood  smiled,  but  he  said  nothing.  I 
wondered  that  he  did  not  offer  his  services  to  the 
lady  ;  but  he  manifested  what  seemed  to  be  a  very 
strange  modesty  for  him,  standing  a  little  apart 
from  the  rest  of  us,  and  not  even  looking  at  the 
pretty  face  of  Miss  Edith.  I  took  the  liberty  to 
introduce  the  Floridian.  He  removed  his  Panama, 
and  bowed  low  when  I  mentioned  his  name ;  but 
he  did  not  even  speak,  much  less  indulge  in  any 
of  his  pretentious  speeches.  The  walk  was  re 
sumed,  and  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon  we  had 
explored  the  city,  from  Fort  San  Marco,  on  the 
north,  to  the  point  at  the  south  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Cornwood  proved  that  he  knew  all  about 
St.  Augustine.  I  had  studied  the  history  of  the 
place  and  the  state  very  carefully  during  the  leisure 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  45 

hours  of  the  voyage  from  the  Bermudas,  and  I  was 
able  to  confirm  the  truth  of  all  he  said,  so  far  as 
my  knowledge  extended,  though  he  went  far  be 
yond  me.  In  a  little  while  he  was  the  very  centre 
of  the  party.  It  is  true  that  Owen  several  times 
requested  him  to  "  cut  it  short,"  at  which  the  Flo- 
ridian  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  offended ;  but  he 
soon  found  that  the  rest  of  the  company  did  not 
wish  to  have  even  the  historical  portions  of  the 
guide's  discourse  abbreviated. 

I  do  not  intend  to  give  the  history  or  describe 
the  objects  of  interest  we  saw  in  Florida,  except 
incidentally,  for  it  would  take  all  my  space  to  do 
these,  and  I  do  not  pretend  to  do  much  more  than 
tell  my  story.  I  must  say  that  I  was  very  much 
interested  in  the  history  and  descriptions  of  Mr. 
Corn  wood ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  my  readers  would 
be  equally  interested,  if  I  had  pages  enough  at  my 
disposal  to  include  them. 

The  Floridian  did  his  duty  modestly,  though 
he  had  become  the  most  important  person  of  the 
party  for  the  time  being.  There  was  not  a  par 
ticle  of  the  "brag"  and  pretension  which  had 
caused  me  to  distrust  everything  he  said.  As  we 
walked  from  place  to  place  he  kept  at  a  respectful 
distance  from  the  passengers,  and  never  intruded 


46  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

himself  upon  them,  though  he  was  always  ready 
to  answer  any  questions.  After  a  three-hours'  run 
we  returned  to  the  pier. 

I  had  expected  that  the  party  would  prefer  to 
go  on  shore,  after  their  sea-voyage,  and  take  up 
their  residence  for  our  stay  at  the  principal  hotel ; 
but  they  manifested  no  such  intention.  As  they 
had  taken  nothing  on  shore  with  them,  I  had  told 
the  steward  to  have  dinner  ready  for  them  at  the 
usual  hour.  The  port  quarter-boat,  which  was 
mine,  had  come  to  the  landing-place,  and  the 
party  embarked.  I  invited  Mr.  Cornwood  to  go 
on  board  with  me,  and  he  accepted  the  invitation. 
He  took  his  place  in  the  fore-sheets  of  the  boat, 
apparently  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  his  re 
spectful  distance  from  the  passengers. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  on  the  deck  of  the 
Sylvania.  The  passengers  retired  to  the  cabin, 
and  Cornwood  followed  me  to  my  state-room. 
As  soon  as  we  entered  the  apartment  his  manner 
underwent  a  sudden  change.  He  was  as  free  and 
familiar  as  he  had  been  at  our  interview  on  board 
in  the  morning.  As  I  interpreted  his  conduct,  he 
considered  himself  on  an  entire  equality  with  me, 
while  he  intended  to  treat  my  passengers  with  the 
utmost  deference  and  respect.  I  did  not  object  to 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  47 

his  view  of  the  relations  to  be  maintained  to  my 
passengers  and  myself;  on  the  contrary,  his  view 
was  precisely  my  own. 

"  What  is  your  price  for  the  service  you  pro 
pose  to  render,  Mr.  Cornwood?"  I  asked,  when 
we  were  seated. 

"Five  dollars  a  day,  including  Sundays,"  he 
replied,  without  any  hesitation.  "  Of  course  this 
salary  is  besides  my  board  and  all  expenses." 

"That  is  only  three  times  my  own  wages,"  I 
added  with  a  smile. 

"  If  you  will  engage  me  for  a  year,  I  will  call 
it  fifty  dollars  a  month,  and  be  glad  to  make 
this  slight  reduction  of  two-thirds,"  he  answered 
promptly,  and  with  the  most  easy  assurance.  "  I 
can  make  hay  only  when  the  sun  shines,  captain ; 
and  I  could  make  more  at  your  wages  twice  over 
than  I  can  at  my  own.  The  year  is  not  often 
more  than  four  months  long  for  my  business.  I 
attend  upon  first-class  parties  only,  and  I  charge 
eight  dollars  a  day  when  I  am  engaged  for  only 
a  single  week.  Your  party  want  to  go  up  the 
St.  Johns  for  at  least  a  month.  However,  if  you 
object  to  the  price,  there  is  a  party  at  the  St. 
Augustine  Hotel  who  want  me  for  a  week  to  go 
to  Indian  River  with  them.  They  are  willing  to 


48  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OE, 

give  me  ten  dollars  a  day ;  but  I  prefer  to  go  with 
your  party  at  the  price  I  named." 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  this  mark  of 
consideration  on  your  part,"  I  replied.  "  Though 
you  are  a  perfect  stranger  to  me,  I  suppose  it 
would  not  be  regarded  as  an  insult  for  me  to  ask 
for  any  testimonials." 

"  Not  at  all.  Though  I  could  procure  a  bushel 
or  two  of  them,  I  do  not  happen  to  have  any  with 
me ;  but  I  will  refer  you  to  the  landlords,  and  to 
any  resident  of  St.  Augustine." 

He  seemed  to  be  ready  to  answer  anything  I 
could  ask  him,  and  he  named  a  dozen  persons  of 
whom  I  might  inquire  in  regard  to  him.  While 
the  passengers  were  on  shore  in  the  forenoon,  I 
had  directed  the  hands  to  spread  the  awnings  on 
the  quarter-deck  and  forecastle.  When  dinner 
was  over  the  party  seemed  to  be  very  well  satis 
fied  to  remain  on  board  after  their  walk,  for  after 
the  sea-voyage  the  exertion  tired  them.  Owen 
told  me  they  should  not  go  on  shore  again,  and 
I  decided  to  inquire  into  the  character  and  ante 
cedents  of  Mr.  Corn  wood. 

When  we  came  up  from  dinner  I  found  Owen 
smoking  his  cigar  on  the  forecastle.  My  passen 
ger  asked  Corn  wood  a  question,  and  they  were 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  49 

soon  engaged  in  conversation  in  regard  to  Florida. 
Taking  the  port  boat,  with  Ben  Bowman  and  Hop 
Tossford,  I  left  the  steamer.  I  did  not  even  take 
the  trouble  to  tell  the  Floridian  where  I  was  going. 
If  my  inquiries  were  satisfactorily  answered,  I  in 
tended  to  engage  him  for  the  time  we  remained  in 
Florida.  He  had  mentioned  the  name  of  a  family 
that  boarded  on  the  west  side  of  the  city,  near  the 
San  Sebastian  River,  and  I  decided  to  make  the 
first  inquiries  there. 

I  steered  the  boat  around  the  point  into  the 
river,  and  soon  passed  the  more  thickly  settled 
portion  of  the  town.  Orange  groves  lined  the 
shore,  and  the  fragrant  jasmine  scented  the  air. 
If  I  had  not  been  all  winter,  in  the  tropics,  I 
should  have  gone  into  ecstasies  over  the  scene  that 
was  spread  out  before  me.  But  orange  groves 
were  nothing  new  to  me  now,  and  I  was  familiar 
with  banana  and  palm  trees. 

I  could  not  be  insensible  to  the  beauties  of  the 
region,  and  in  that  mild  atmosphere  I  could  not 
help  enjoying  it.  On  the  shore  were  the  dwell 
ings  of  wealthy  men  who  spent  their  winters  in 
this  delightful  locality.  Soon  we  came  to  a  house, 
on  the  very  bank  of  the  river,  with  a  kind  of 
pier  built  out  into  the  river,  at  which  several  sail 
4 


50  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

and  row  boats  were  moored.  This  was  the  large 
boarding-house  to  which  I  had  been  directed  by 
the  Floridian. 

I  identified  it  from  his  description  some  time 
before  we  reached  it.  As  the  boat  approached 
the  house,  and  I  ran  in  towards  the  pier,  I  noticed 
there  was  a  great  commotion  in  the  vicinity.  The 
inmates  were  rushing  out  of  the  house,  negroes 
were  running  here  and  there,  apparently  without 
any  settled  purpose,  and  not  a  few  women  were 
screaming. 

"I  wonder  what  the  matter  is  at  that  house," 
I  said  to  the  oarsmen,  who  were  back  to  the  scene, 
and  could  see  nothing  of  it. 

"Matter  enough,  I  should  say,"  replied  Ben 
Bowman,  who  pulled  the  bow-oar,  as  he  looked 
behind  him.  "  The  house  is  on  fire  !  " 

The  immense  live-oaks  that  half  concealed  the 
house  from  my  view  had  prevented  me  from  see 
ing  the  volume  of  smoke  and  flame  that  was  rising 
from  one  corner  of  the  mansion.  The  fire  had 
already  made  considerable  progress. 

"  Give  way,  lively,  my  men  ! "  I  called  to  the 
rowers.  "  We  shall  be  needed  there." 

Ben  and  Hop  pulled  a  strong  stroke,  and  they 
exerted  themselves  until  the  oars  bent  before  their 

.. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  51 

vigorous  muscles.  I  headed  the  boat  for  some  steps 
I  saw  on  the  pier,  and  in  a  few  moments  more  we 
were  within  hailing  distance  of  the  wharf. 

"  Way  enough  !  "  I  called  to  the  oarsmen.  They 
ceased  rowing,  and  brought  their  oars  to  a  per 
pendicular,  man-of-war  fashion,  as  required  by  our 
boat-drill. 

Ben  Bowman  went  to  the  bow,  fended  off,  and 
then  jumped  ashore  with  the  painter  in  his  hand. 
Hop  Tossford  and  I  followed  him  in  good  order, 
as  all  were  instructed  to  move  when  in  the  boats  ; 
and  in  a  moment  we  were  on  the  pier.  My  men 
broke  into  a  run  for  the  scene  of  the  fire ;  but  I 
moved  more  slowly,  and  studied  the  situation  as 
I  walked  up  the  wharf. 

The  inmates  of  the  house  and  the  neighbors 
who  had  gathered  appeared  to  be  in  utter  con 
fusion,  and  incapable  of  doing  anything,  if  there 
was  anything  that  could  be  done.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  the  fire  had  progressed  too  far  to  be  checked, 
and  that  the  entire  destruction  of  the  house  was 
inevitable.  But  certainly  some  portion  of  the  prop 
erty  in  the  building  could  be  saved,  and  the  peo 
ple  seemed  to  have  no  power  even  to  attend  to 
this  duty.  Our  boat's  crew  could  set  a  good  ex 
ample  in  this  way,  if  in  no  other ;  and  I  hurried 
my  steps  as  soon  as  I  could  decide  what  to  do. 


52  EOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

As  soon  as  I  reached  the  garden  in  the  rear  of 
the  house,  I  found  there  was  something  more  im 
portant  to  be  done  than  saving  furniture.  A  gen 
tleman  whom  I  judged  to  be  about  forty  years  of 
age  was  on  the  point  of  rushing  into  the  burning 
house  when  he  was  held  back  by  others.  They 
said  the  stairs  were  already  in  flames,  and  the 
second  story  could  be  reached  only  from  the  out 
side. 

"  My  daughter  is  asleep  in  the  corner-room ! " 
gasped  the  gentleman,  pointing  to  the  window  of 
the  chamber. 

The  next  instant  Hop  Tossford  was  running  up 
the  posts  of  the  veranda. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  53 


CHAPTER  V. 

SAVED   FROM   THE    BURNING   HOUSE. 

BY  this  time  the  flames,  which  had  been  confined 
to  half  a  dozen  windows,  were  breaking  out 
through  the  roof  of  the  house.  Ben  Bowman  and 
I  followed  Hop  Tossford  to  the  roof  of  the  ve 
randa,  which  surrounded  the  building,  though,  as 
we  had  waited  to  hear  more  of  the  situation,  we 
were  considerably  behind  him.  We  all  attempted 
the  ascent  by  different  posts.  That  which  Ben 
took  slipped  out,  and  tumbled  over ;  and  the  fire 
was  so  hot  where  I  was  that  I  had  some  difficulty 
in  getting  a  foothold  on  the  roof. 

I  had  hardly  accomplished  my  purpose  when  I 
heard  a  scream.  The  next  instant  I  saw  Hop  leap 
from  the  window  near  the  corner  with  a  lady  in 
his  arms.  She  was  still  screaming ;  but  it  ap 
peared  that  she  had  been  alarmed  only  at  finding 
herself  in  the  arms  of  a  stranger.  She  had  not 
been  aroused  from  her  sleep  till  Hop  lifted  her 
from  the  bed. 


54  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

The  deck-hand  set  her  on  her  feet  as  soon  as  he 
reached  the  roof  of  the  veranda.  She  looked 
about  her,  and  she  could  not  help  seeing  and  hear 
ing  the  devouring  flames.  She  comprehended  the 
situation,  and  ceased  to  scream.  By  this  time  a 
ladder  was  raised  to  the  roof  of  the  veranda,  and 
as  soon  as  Hop  saw  the  top  of  it,  he  assisted  the 
lady  to  descend,  which  she  accomplished  in  safety. 
I  saw  her  in  the  arms  of  her  father,  and  both  of 
them  were  weeping. 

As  soon  as  I  saw  that  the  young  lady  was  safe, 
I  led  the  way  into  the  rooms  on  the  side  of  the 
house  which  was  not  yet  on  fire,  though  the  flames 
were  now  breaking  into  them,  and  proceeded  to 
throw  out  the  baggage  and  other  articles  we  found. 
Hop  took  the  chamber  from  which  he  had  just 
saved  the  occupant,  and  removed  a  trunk  and  all 
the  drawers  of  a  bureau.  These  articles  were  car 
ried  down  the  ladder  by  the  guests  and  others. 
We  worked  until  we  were  driven  from  the  ve 
randa  by  the  flames. 

When  I  reached  the  ground,  I  found  the  lady 
who  had  been  saved  out  on  the  pier  with  her  father, 
with  their  trunks  which  had  been  removed  there 
by  the  latter.  She  had  transferred  from  the 
drawers  of  the  bureau  brought  out  by  Hop,  all  her 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  55 

clothing.  She  had  quite  recovered  from  her  fright. 
She  was  not  more  than  sixteen,  and  with  the  ex 
ception  of  Edith  Shepard,  I  never  saw  a  prettier 
girl. 

"  We  are  under  very  great  obligations  to  you, 
gentlemen,"  said  the  father  of  the  fair  young  lady. 
"I  am  sure  my  daughter  would  have  perished 
without  the  assistance  of  one  of  your  number." 

"This  is  the  young  man  that  brought  your 
daughter  out  of  the  house,"  I  replied,  pointing  to 
Hop. 

"I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  and  soul  for 
what  you  have  done,"  said  the  stranger,  taking 
Hop's  hand.  "It  seems  that  my  daughter  was 
asleep  when  you  entered  her  chamber,  and  she 
would  surely  have  been  burned  to  death  without 
your  bold  effort." 

"And  I  thank  you  with  all  my  heart  and  soul ! " 
exclaimed  the  young  lady,  blushing  as  she  took 
the  hand  of  her  gallant  deliverer.  "I  was  fast 

._ 

asleep  when  you  lifted  me  from  the  bed,  and  I 
only  screamed  because  I  thought  some  man  was 
carrying  me  off.  At  first,  I  thought  it  was  a 
dream." 

"  I  was  very  clumsy  about  it ;  and  I  beg  your 
pardon  for  frightening  you  so.  I  might  have 


56  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OB, 

spoken  before  I  took  you  from  the  bed.  But  I 
have  had  no  experience  in  such  business,"  pleaded 
Hop.  "  I  shall  know  better  how  to  do  it  next 
time." 

"You  did  it  exceedingly  well,"  said  the  lady, 
with  emphasis. 

"It  matters  little  how  it  was  done,  so  it  was 
done,"  said  the  father. 

"  That  is  just  what  I  think,  papa.  I  can't  ex 
press  anything  at  all  that  I  feel  towards  this  gen 
tleman  for  the  great  service  he  has  done  me,  I 
wish  I  could  say  just  what  is  in  my  heart ! "  ex 
claimed  the  fair  young  lady. 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  can  not,"  added  Hop,  who 
seemed  to  be  embarrassed  by  the  gratitude  of  the 
young  lady  and  her  father. 

"  We  shall  never  forget  the  service  of  this  young 
gentleman.  Everybody  else  was  paralyzed,  and 
unable  to  do  anything,"  continued  the  stranger. 
"  I  had  been  to  walk  ;  and  on  my  return  I  saw  the 
smoke  long  before  I  reached  the  house.  I  did  not 
think  of  my  daughter  being  in  her  room  at  first, 
but  it  occurred  to  me  that  she  has  been  in  the  habit 
of  taking  a  nap  after  dinner  lately.  As  I  did  not 
see  her  among  the  other  people  of  the  house,  I  was 
paralyzed  by  the  thought  that  she  might  be  asleep." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  57 

"I  owe  my  life  to  your  coming;  and  I  never 
shall  forget  this  service,  any  more  than  my  father," 
added  the  young  lady,  as  she  bestowed  a  grateful 
look  upon  Hop. 

"  We  shall  see  more  of  you,  gentlemen ;  and  I 
hope  I  shall  be  able  to  prove  to  you  that  I  prop 
erly  value  the  service  you  have  rendered.  But, 
Margie,  we  are  turned  out  of  house  and  home  by 
the  fire." 

"  But  we  have  saved  all  our  luggage,  thanks  to 
these  gentlemen !  We  are  not  so  badly  off  as 
some  of  the  people  in  the  house,  who  must  have 
lost  everything." 

"  There  are  some  others  here  who  will  have  oc 
casion  to  be  thankful  for  your  arrival ;  for  I  don't 
think  anything  would  have  been  saved  if  you  had 
not  taken  the  lead.  But,  Margie,  we  haven't  even 
a  carriage  to  convey  us  to  a  hotel." 

"  I  think  I  can  manage  that  for  you,  sir,"  I  in 
terposed.  "  We  can  take  you  and  your  trunks  into 
our  boat,  and  convey  you  to  the  other  side  of  the 
town." 

"  Thanks  ;  you  are  very  kind.  But  we  are  not 
willing  to  take  up  any  more  of  your  time,"  pro 
tested  the  stranger.  "  Besides,  I  don't  know  where 
to  go,  unless  we  take  the  next  train  for  Jackson- 


58  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

ville  ;  for  yesterday,  and  when  we  arrived  a  week 
ago,  the  hotels  and  boarding-houses  were  all  full 
to  overflowing.  I  only  got  in  where  I  was  by  the 
landlord  and  his  daughter  giving  u&  their  rooms, 
while  they  went  to  a  cottage  of  a  friend.  Perhaps 
we  had  better  leave  the  place  at  once,  for  I  am 
sure  we  can't  find  lodgings.  I  looked  the  place 
all  over  for  accommodations." 

"  But  we  are  too  late  to  leave  the  place  to-night, 
papa,"  replied  Miss  Margie,  and  both  she  and  her 
father  seemed  to  be  very  anxious  about  the  situa 
tion. 

"  We  shall  find  some  kind  of  accommodations  at 
the  hotels,  though  it  be  nothing  better  than  the 
servants'  rooms.  They  won't  let  us  sleep  in  the 
streets,"  added  the  father,  more  cheerfully. 

"  I  think  I  can  take  care  of  you  for  a  few  days," 
I  interposed ;  "  at  any  rate,  until  you  find  better 
quarters." 

"  Pardon.me,  sir ;  but  you  look  like  sailors  ;  and 
you  all  went  up  the  posts  under  the  veranda  as 
though  you  were  sailors,"  added  the  gentleman. 

"  We  are  sailors,  and  we  belong  to  a  steam-yacht 
lying  at  anchor  on  the  other  side  of  the  city,"  I 
replied.  "  We  will  take  you  and  your  daughter 
around  to  her,  with  your  baggage  ;  and  then  you 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  59 

can  make  such  arrangements  for  the  future  as  you 
desire." 

"  We  thank  you ;  you  are  very  kind,  and  we 
accept  your  offer,"  said  the  gentleman.  "  The 
place  is  so  crowded  with  visitors  that  it  is  very 
difficult  to  get  anything  done  for  you ;  and  we 
might  have  to  stay  here  a  long  time  before  we  could 
get  a  carriage  to  convey  us  and  our  luggage  to 
another  place.  Besides,  this  fire  will  turn  forty 
or  fifty  people  out  of  their  house,  and  there  will 
be  an  increased  demand  for  rooms." 

"  I  can  take  care  of  you  for  a  few  days,  at  any 
rate,"  I  replied.  "  Put  those  trunks  into  the  fore 
sheets  of  the  boat,  Ben." 

The  trunks  and  the  other  baggage  were  stowed 
in  the  forward  part  of  the  boat,  and  I  assisted  the 
fair  stranger  and  her  father  to  the  cushioned  seats 
in  the  stern  sheets.  When  we  were  all  in,  the 
boat  was  pretty  well  loaded  down.  Ben  shoved 
her  well  off  into  the  stream,  and  I  took  the  tiller- 
lines,  seated  between  my  two  passengers. 

"  Up  oars  !  Let  fall !  Give  way  I  "  I  continued, 
giving  the  usual  orders.  Ben  and  Hop  bent  to 
their  oars,  while  all  of  us  took  a  parting  view  of 
the  scene  of  the  fire.  The  house  was  burned  to 
the  ground ;  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  nearly  the 


60  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

whole  population  of  the  city  was  gathered  in  the 
vicinity.  A  fire  was  not  a  common  thing,  and 
people  went  to  see  it  as  a  curiosity. 

The  month  of  March  is  one  of  the  most  trying 
in  the  whole  year  in  the  North,  and  vast  numbers 
of  people  had  come  down  to  Florida  to  escape  its 
rigors.  All  the  watering-places  in  the  State  were 
crowded  with  visitors,  and  in  St.  Augustine,  the 
most  popular  resort,  there  was  not  a  vacant  room 
to  be  had.  While  my  new  passengers  were  gazing 
at  the  remains  of  the  fire  and  the  crowd  that 
surrounded  them,  I  began  to  think  how  I  should 
dispose  of  my  guests  on  board  of  the  Sylvania. 
I  was  not  quite  willing  to  intrude  upon  Owen's 
party  by  putting  them  in  the  after  cabin ;  but  I 
could  easily  make  two  rooms  of  the  captain's  large 
apartment,  while  Washburn  and  I  found  quarters 
in  the  forward  cabin. 

The  vigorous  strokes  of  Ben  and  Hop  soon 
brought  us  to  the  steamer.  The  passengers  were 
still  seated  under  the  awning  of  the  quarter-deck ; 
and  Owen  had  finished  his  cigar  and  joined  Miss 
Edith,  whose  shadow  he  was  when  his  cigar  did 
not  need  attention.  They  all  rose  from  their  seats 
when  they  saw  that  I  had  company,  for  of  course 
their  curiosity  was  excited.  We  pulled  around 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  61 

the  stern,  and  came  up  to  the  port  gangway,  where 
the  steps  were  rigged  out. 

Hop  Tossford  handed  Miss  Margie  up  the  steps 
to  the  deck,  while  I  assisted  the  gentleman,  whose 
name  I  did  not  yet  know,  though  I  had  read  "P.  T." 
on  the  ends  of  the  trunks.  I  conducted  the  new 
passengers  to  the  captain's  room.  I  wanted  Wash- 
burn,  in  order  to  have  him  remove  his  clothes  and 
other  articles  into  the  forward  cabin.  When  I 
looked  for  him,  he  was  with  the  party  on  the  quar 
ter-deck.  I  went  to  him.  In  a  few  words  I  ex 
plained  the  situation  to  him.  He  was  very  willing 
to  change  his  quarters,  and  declared  that  he  would 
sleep  on  the  fore-yard,  if  necessary. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  Captain  Alick,  but  what 
had  you  in  the  boat?"  asked  Owen,  as  Washburn 
went  forward. 

"  I  had  a  gentleman  and  his  daughter,  with  their 
luggage,  as  we  say  in  England,"  I  replied. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  again  ;  but  who  are  the  gen 
tleman  and  his  daughter  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  the  least  idea.  They  were  in  a  house 
over  the  other  side  of  the  city,  and  some  way  up, 
which  has  just  been  burned  to  the  ground.  Very 
likely  that  young  lady  would  have  been  burned  to 
death  if  Hop  had  not  brought  her  out  of  her  room, 


62  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

where  she  was  asleep.  Every  hotel  and  boarding- 
house  in  the  place  is  full,  and  they  had  no  place  to 
go  :  so  I  brought  them  on  board  till  they  can  find 
a  hotel." 

"  Very  good  of  you ;  but  what  were  you  just 
saying  to  Robsy?"  demanded  Owen. 

"  I  told  him  to  move  his  traps  out  of  our  room  ; 
and  I  shall  do  the  same  with  mine,"  I  replied. 

"  You  will  do  nothing  of  the  sort,"  protested  my 
cousin. 

"  What's  the  reason  I  won't? " 

"  Because  the  lady  shall  have  my  state  room ; 
and  her  father  and  I  will  just  take  berths  in  the 
cabin." 

Before  I  could  say  anything  more,  Owen  rushed 
down  into  the  cabin,  and  I  followed  him. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA. 


63 


CHAPTEE  VI. 

MOONLIGHT   AND   MUSIC    ON   BOARD. 

OWEN  called  the  steward  and  the  waiter,  and 
directed  them  to  move  all  his  luggage  from 
the  state-room.     He  assisted  himself  in  the  work, 
and  seemed  to  be  very  much  in  earnest. 

"  I  don't  ask  you  to  do  this,  Owen ;  and  I  didn't 
expect  you  to  do  it,"  I  protested. 

"  Did  you  expect  me  to  be  a  swine  ?  "  demanded 
he  indignantly. 

"  No,  certainly  not ;  but  I  have  no  right  to  do 
anything  to  deprive  you  of  the  comfort  you  pay 
for,"  I  replied. 

"But  who  are  these  people,  Alick?" 

"  They  haven't  even  given  me  their  names ;  1^ 
know  nothing  whatever  in  regard  to  them.    Rather 
than  have  them  stay  out  in  the  street,  I  was  ready 
to  give  up  my  room." 

"  It's  all  right,  Alick.  Give  the  lady  my  state 
room,  and  I  will  take  a  berth.  The  curtains  draw 
out  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  a  little  room  in  front 


64  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

of  each  bunk,  and  I  shall  be  just  as  well  off  as  in 
my  room." 

"  I  don't  like  to  have  you  do  this.  Won't  you 
take  my  room?  I  will  have  it  fitted  up  for  you 
in  as  good  style  as  this  cabin ;  and  it  is  twice  as 
large  as  this  room." 

"  No,  I  thank  you,  Alick.  I  shall  be  very  com 
fortable  in  one  of  these  berths.  Let  me  hear  no 
more  objections.  Now  bring  the  gentleman  and 
his  daughter  down  into  the  cabin,  and  assure  them 
they  are  as  welcome  as  they  would  be  in  their  own 
house." 

It  was  useless  to  say  anything  more  to  Owen ; 
for  when  he  insisted  on  having  his  own  way,  he 
had  it.  I  went  forward  and  invited  the  strangers 
below.  Ben  brought  their  trunks  and  other  bag 
gage  after  them,  and  they  were  soon  installed  in 
their  new  quarters. 

"  What  a  lovely  little  room ! "  exclaimed  Miss 
Margie,  as  I  showed  the  state-room.  "It  is  ever 
so  much  nicer  than  the  one  I  had  in  the  steamer  I 
came  across  the  ocean  in  !  " 

"  I  am  sorry  I  have  not  another  state-room  for 
you,  sir,"  I  said  to  her  father,  as  I  came  out  of 
the  daughter's  room.  "  But  we  will  do  the  best 
we  can  for  you." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  65 

I  pulled  out  the  slide  to  which  the  curtains  were 
attached,  in  front  of  one  of  the  berths. 

"Nothing  could  be  better  than  that,"  replied 
the  gentleman,  with  enthusiasm.  "  We  are  better 
lodged  than  we  were  in  that  boarding-house.  The 
only  fear  is  that  we  are  intruding." 

"Not  at  all,  sir.  The  gentleman  that  charters 
the  yacht  wished  me  to  say  to  you  that  you  are  as 
welcome  as  you  could  be  in  your  own  house." 

"  I  will  soon  pay  my  respects  to  him.  I  dare 
say  he  is  the  owner  of  this  delightful  little  craft." 

"No,  sir;  he  only  charters  her." 

"  And  who  is  the  owner  of  her  ?  " 

"I  am  the  owner,  sir." 

"  Bless  me  !  You  are  quite  a  young  man  to  be 
the  owner  of  such  a  fine  little  vessel,"  said  the  new 
passenger.  "  Will  you  favor  me  with  your  name  ?  " 

"Alexander  Garningham,"  I  replied,  not  sup 
posing  my  name  could  be  of  any  particular  conse 
quence  to  him. 

"  Garningham  !  I  half  suspected  it !  "  ejaculated 
the  gentleman.  "  I  have  a  letter  for  you." 

"  A  letter  for  me,  sir  !  "  I  exclaimed,  wondering 
who  could  have  given  him  such  a  missive." 

"It  is  very  strange  that  I  should  stumble  on 
you  in  this  manner,  when  I  have  been  looking 
5 


66  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

for  you  all  over  the  country,"  continued  the  gen 
tleman,  fumbling  his  pockets  for  the  letter. 

I  almost  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  a 
"fraud,"  trying  to  play  some  trick  upon  me,  in 
the  interest  of  Captain  Boomsby,  or  some  other 
designing  person,  when  he  produced  the  letter. 
He  handed  it  to  me.  I  instantly  recognized  the 
peculiar  handwriting  of  my  father.  It  thrilled  me 
to  my  very  soul.  I  glanced  at  the  superscription. 
It  was  my  name  in  the  familiar  writing.  Under  it 
was,  "By  the  hand  of  the  Hon.  Pardon  Tiffany." 

"Mr.  Tiffany,  I  am  very  happy  to  meet  you," 
I  said,  when  I  had  read  what  was  on  the  outside 
of  the  letter. 

"  Captain  Alick  Garningham,  I  am  more  than 
happy  to. see  you,"  he  replied,  grasping  my  hand. 
"  I  know  all  about  you  from  your  father." 

I  excused  myself,  and  opened  the  letter ;  but  it 
was  only  an  introduction,  written  just  before  my 
father  started  for  India.  He  spoke  of  Mr.  Tiffany 
as  his  best  and  truest  friend  in  England,  who  was 
to  travel  a  year  or  more  in  America. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  in  this  country,  Mr. 
Tiffany?"  I  asked,  thinking  it  very  strange,  from 
the  date  of  the  letter,  that  I  had  not  seen  him  be 
fore. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  67 

"  Less  than  four  months.  I  was  ill  after  your 
father  started  for  India,  and  was  unable  to  leave 
home  till  six  months  later  than  I  had  intended," 
he  replied.  "  I  suppose  you  hear  from  your  father 
occasionally  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  heard  from  him  since  he  left  for 
India,"  I  replied. 

I  saw  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  events  which 
had  occurred  since  I  left  Lake  St.  Clair.  It  took 
me  an  hour  to  tell  the  story  in  full.  He  seemed 
to  be  greatly  astonished  when  I  told  him  that  the 
person  who  chartered  the  steam-yacht  was  my 
cousin,  Owen  Garningham.  He  knew  most  of  the 
family,  though  he  had  never  met  Owen,  who  had 
been  away  at  school,  or  on  his  travels  on  the  Con 
tinent,  when  he  visited  my  father. 

Miss  Margie  had  come  out  of  her  state-room 
some  time  before  I  finished  my  story ;  but  she 
busied  herself  with  a  book  till  we  had  concluded 
our  conference.  I  asked  them  both  to  go  on  deck 
with  me,  and  I  introduced  them  to  my  passen 
gers.  Owen  did  not  appear  to  know  Mr.  Tiffany, 
or  to  know  of  him  when  his  name  was  mentioned. 
I  thought  it  was  best  not  to  say  anything  at  pres 
ent.  Both  of  the  guests  were  treated  with  the 
utmost  consideration  and  kindness  by  Owen  and 


68  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

the  Shepards.  The  story  of  the  fire  was  rehearsed, 
and  Miss  Margie  was  the  heroine  of  the  hour. 

The  afternoon  was  wearing  away,  and  I  had 
yet  made  no  inquiries  in  regard  to  Cornwood.  I 
knew  not  where  to  find  the  person  to  whom  he 
had  referred  me  at  the  house  which  had  been 
burned.  I  ordered  the  boat  again,  and  went  on 
shore.  I  found  a  party  at  one  of  the  hotels  who 
had  employed  the  Floridian,  and  they  spoke  in 
the  highest  terms  of  him.  The  natives  of  St. 
Augustine  usually  smiled  when  I  asked  about 
Cornwood ;  but  no  one  said  anything  against  him 
that  I  did  not  know  —  that  he  was  "  airy "  and 
given  to  "  brag."  It  was  about  dark  when  I  re 
turned,  but  the  Floridian  was  still  on  board. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  hear  that  Colonel  Estwell's  house 
has  been  burned,"  said  Cornwood,  as  I  came  on 
deck.  "It  was  doing  a  good  business,  and  the 
fire  will  be  a  heavy  blow  to  the  Colonel.  I  sup 
pose  you  heard  nothing  bad  about  me." 

"  Nothing  very  bad.  I  engage  you  at  the  terms 
you  named  for  the  time  the  steam-yacht  remains 
in  Florida,"  I  added.  "  You  will  have  a  berth  in 
the  forward  cabin,  and  mess  with  the  officers." 

"  You  will  have  no  occasion  to  regret  what  you 
have  done,"  said  the  Floridian,  confidently. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  69 

"I  hope  not.  Now,  can  you  find  a  waiter  for 
me?"  I  continued,  explaining  the  need  of  addi 
tional  help  in  the  steward's  department. 

"  A  waiter !  Fifty  more  than  there  are  in  the 
city  could  find  places  in  one  hour,"  said  he,  laugh 
ing  at  the  apparent  absurdity  of  the  question. 
"  However,  as  you  have  applied  to  me,  I  have  no 
doubt  I  can  find  one  for  you." 

"  Do  you  think  you  can  ?  "  I  asked,  rather  anx 
iously.  "  I  have  added  two  more  persons  to  the 
company  to  be  cared  for  at  the  cabin-table,  and 
we  shall  get  nothing  to  eat  in  the  forward  cabin  if 
we  don't  have  more  help." 

"You  shall  have  a  waiter  if  I  have  to  take 
him  out  of  the  dining-room  of  the  St.  Augustine 
Hotel,"  replied  Mr.  Corn  wood,  with  as  much  as 
surance  as  though  all  the  waiters  in  the  city  were 
under  his  charge. 

I  sent  him  ashore  in  the  starboard  boat ;  and 
Buck  and  Landy,  the  crew,  were  glad  to  spend 
an  hour  in  the  city.  In  less  than  that  time  the 
Floridian  returned,  and  with  him  was  the  waiter. 
When  the  new  man  came  into  my  room  to  see  me, 
I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  he  was  the  same 
"  yellow  man  "  I  had  seen  in  the  boat  that  brought 
off  the  guide  the  first  time  he  boarded  the  Syl- 
vania. 


70  DOWN- SOUTH;  OR, 

Pie  was  a  remarkably  good-looking  fellow,  and 
I  soon  ascertained  that  he  was  as  intelligent  as  he 
was  handsome.  His  name  was  Griffin  Leeds.  He 
was  neither  a  Spaniard  nor  an  Italian,  but  an  octo 
roon. 

Both  the  guide  and  the  waiter  brought  off  their 
baggage  in  the  boat.  Among  the  effects  of  Griffin 
Leeds  I  noticed  a  violin-case.  Tom  Sands,  the 
cabin-waiter,  whom  I  had  obtained  at  Jackson 
ville,  played  the  banjo  in  the  most  artistic  man 
ner.  Neither  of  the  waiters  were  any  common  sort 
of  colored  men ;  and  I  soon  found  that  race  dis 
tinctions  were  vastly  more  insisted  on  by  these 
men  than  by  any  white  man  on  board,  unless  it 
was  the  Floridian. 

"We  had  a  full  table  in  the  forward  cabin  at  sup 
per  that  night,  and  Griffin  Leeds  showed  that  he 
thoroughly  understood  his  business,  and  that  he 
was  active  and  zealous  besides.  I  was  very  well 
pleased  with  him,  and  so  were  all  the  other  officers 
of  the  steamer. 

It  was  a  bright  moonlight  evening,  and  the  air 
was  soft  and  balmy.  I  sat  with  the  passengers 
under  the  awning  on  the  quarter-deck.  By  this 
time  Edith  and  Margie  had  got  along  far  enough 
to  sit  with  their  arms  around  each  other's  waists. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  71 

One  would  think  they  had  known  each  other  for 
years,  they  were  so  affectionate.  We  were  talk 
ing  about  the  voyage  down  from  the  Great  Lakes, 
when  the  attention  of  the  whole  party  was  at 
tracted  by  the  music  of  a  violin  on  the  hurricane- 
deck.  The  instrument  was  well  played.  Pres 
ently  the  volume  of  the  music  was  increased  by 
the  addition  of  a  banjo. 

"That's  good,"  said  Owen.  "I  think  music, 
even  if  it  isn't  first-class,  is  delightful  on  the 
water." 

"  It  is  perfectly  charming  !  "  exclaimed  Edith. 

"  It  seems  almost  like  fairy-land  1 "  added  Mar 
gie. 

I  saw  that  all  hands  were  in  the  gangway ;  then 
a  violoncello,  of  whose  existence  on  board  I  was 
not  aware,  wTas  passed  up  to  the  hurricane-deck. 
Landy  Perkins  played  on  this  instrument,  which 
had  been  purchased  at  St.  George.  I  knew  that 
Ben  Bowman  had  formerly  played  in  the  Mont- 
omercy  Brass  Band,  and  I  saw  him  mount  the 
ladder  with  his  cornet.  In  a  few  minutes  our 
band  was  playing  "There's  music  in  the  air," 
though  the  first  attempts  were  evidently  not  en 
tirely  satisfactory  to  the  musicians.  After  an 
hour's  practice  together  the  music  improved. 


72  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

We  sat  on  deck  till  a  late  hour.  The  next  day, 
under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Cornwood,  the  party 
visited  the  coquina  quarries  on  Anastasia  Island, 
and  wandered  over  the  city  again.  In  the  evening 
the  band  played  again,  reinforced  by  the  Floriclian, 
who  played  the  cornet.  He  told  me  confidentially 
that  he  was  not  in  the  habit  of  playing  with  "  nig 
gers,"  but  he  was  willing  to  do  anything  to  con 
tribute  to  the  pleasure  of  the  party.  I  thought  it 
was  very  condescending  in  him. 

After  three  days  at  St.  Augustine  we  sailed  for 
Jacksonville. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  73 


CHAPTER 

THE    ENEMY    IN    A    NEW   BUSINESS. 

WE  had  three  ladies  on  board ;  but  Tom  Sands 
was  the  bedroom  steward  as  well  as  waiter, 
and  I  thought  this  was  not  just  the  thing.  I  came 
to  the  conclusion,  before  we  left  St.  Augustine, 
that  Ave  ought  to  have  a  stewardess  to  wait  upon 
the  ladies.  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Cornwood,  and  in  a 
few  hours  more  we  had  Chloe,  the  wife  of  Griffin 
Leeds,  duly  installed  in  that  position. 

She  had  no  children,  and  did  not  appear  to  be 
more  than  twenty  years  old.  She  was  very  neat 
and  lively,  and  the  ladies  were  much  pleased  with 
her.  She  had  had  experience  on  a  Charleston  and  a 
St.  Johns  steamer.  The  forecastle  of  the  Sylvania 
had  not  been  used  on  the  cruise  except  as  a  store 
room,  and  I  had  this  prepared  for  the  use  of  Leeds 
and  his  wife.  Peeks  and  Sands  slept  in  the  cabin  ; 
and  if  the  stewardess  was  wanted  in  the  night,  she 
could  be  called. 

It  was  only  a  six  or  seven  hours'  run  to  Jack- 


74  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    03, 

sonville,  especially  as  we  had  a  strong  south 
westerly  breeze,  and  carried  all  sail  in  addition  to 
our  steam.  We  started  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
morning,  so  as  to  have  the  tide  right  to  cross  the 
bar  at  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

"You  needn't  put  that  flag  in  the  fore-rigging," 
said  Mr.  Corn  wood,  when  he  discovered  the  signal 
for  a  pilot  flying,  as  we  approached  the  bar. 

"Why  not?"  I  asked,  forgetting  some  of  the 
wonderful  things  he  had  told  me  he  could  do. 

"  I  am  a  pilot  for  any  waters  of  Florida,  and  I 
can  take  the  steamer  across  the  bar  as  well  as  any 
man  you  will  pay  for  this  service,"  he  added, 
apparently  hurt  by  the  appearance  of  the  ensign 
on  the  foremast. 

''But  you  have  neither  branch  nor  warrant; 
and  if  anything  should  happen  to  the  Sylvania 
while  she  has  not  a  regular  pilot  on  board,  my 
passengers  would  never  forgive  me." 

"But  I  know  that  bar  as  well  as  I  knew  the 
rooms  in  my  father's  house,"  protested  the  Flo- 
ridian. 

"But  you  are  not  an  authorized  pilot,"  I  in 
sisted. 

I  could  not  see  why  he  was  so  strenuous  about 
the  matter,  unless  it  was  because  he  thought  I  dis- 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  75 

trusted  his  ability.  The  steamer  was  not  insured, 
so  that  nothing  depended  upon  that  matter ;  but  I 
could  not  trust  a  pilot  whose  ability  had  not  been 
proved.  Corn  wood  was  quite  sulky  about  the  mat 
ter  for  some  time,  and  declared  that,  if  he  was  to 
be  of  no  use  on  board  he  did  not  care  to  remain. 
He  had  some  self-respect,  and  he  could  not  take 
his  salary  if  he  did  not  earn  it. 

When  the  pilot  "came  on  board  it  proved  to  be 
the  same  one  who  had  taken  us  over  in  December. 
He  had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  the  exciting 
events  of  that  day ;  and  as  he  stood  at  the  wheel 
he  asked  many  questions  about  the  steamer  and 
the  man  who  had  attempted  to  wreck  her. 

"  I  took  an  ice  schooner  up  to  Jacksonville  about 
three  weeks  ago,  and  I  stopped  a  day  in  the  city," 
said  the  pilot.  "You  see,  I  live  on  Fort  George 
Island,  and  when  I  go  up  to  the  city  I  always 
come  down  again  as  soon  as  I  can ;  but  this  time 
I  'stopped  over  for  a  day,  for  I  had  a  chance  to 
bring  a  vessel  down.  I  went  into  a  saloon  on 
Bay  Street,  and  who  should  I  see  behind  the  bar 
but  the  man  that  ran  the  other  steam-yacht  into 
this  one,  or  tried  to  do  so,  and  got  the  boot  on 
t'other  leg." 

"  What,  Captain  Boomsby  ? "  I  asked,  aston 
ished  at  the  information. 


76  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  Yes,  that's  the  name.  I  had  forgotten  what 
it  was ;  and  he  hadn't  got  his  sign  out  then." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  he  is  in  business  in 
Jacksonville?"  I  asked. 

"He  keeps  a  saloon  there." 

"  What  sort  of  a  saloon  ?  " 

"Why,  a  bar-room,"  replied  the  pilot,  laugh 
ing.  "  He  told  me  he  had  been  up  north  since  I 
saw  him,  and  had  brought  his  family  down.  He 
lives  overhead  the  saloon ;  and  he  seemed  to  be 
doing  a  lively  business." 

"  I  am  afraid  he  will  be  his  own  best  customer," 
I  added. 

"  I  reckon  he  is,  for  he  was  getting  rather  full 
when  I  saw  him." 

"He  talked  about  coming  to  Florida  when  I 
saw  him  hi  Michigan ;  but  he  said  he  was  going 
into  the  business  of  raising  early  vegetables  and 
oranges." 

"  He  has  got  a  place  up  the  river,  and  means  to 
raise  truck  for  the  market  besides.  He  must  have 
some  money." 

"  I  think  he  has  considerable  property.  He  did 
not  find  fanning  in  Michigan  as  profitable  as  he 
expected.  He  is  one  of  those  men  who  want  to 
coin  money  all  at  once." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  77 

Shortly  after  noon  we  came  to  anchor  off  the 
city.  The  pilot  leaped  into  his  canoe,  and  boarded 
a  steamer  going  down  the  river.  Colonel  Shepard 
was  in  a  hurry  to  go  on  shore,  and  I  landed  him 
at  once.  The  steward  went  off  to  the  market  for 
ice  and  fresh  provisions  in  the  other  boat.  I  did 
not  expect  all  my  passengers  to  remain  on  board 
while  we  were  at  Jacksonville.  The  Colonel  had 
a  house  which  had  been  badly  damaged  by  fire 
while  we  were  here  in  December,  and  I  had  no 
doubt  he  would  occupy  it,  with  his  family,  while 
we  remained  here. 

He  was  not  absent  more  than  an  hour,  for  his 
house  was  on  St.  James  Park,  a  short  distance 
from  the  shore.  Everything  about  it  had  been 
put  in  complete  repair,  and  it  was  ready  for  occu 
pancy.  In  the  afternoon  we  landed  the  family, 
and  the  Hon.  Mr.  Tiffany  and  his  daughter  were 
invited  to  go  with  them.  The  Sylvania  seemed  to 
be  deserted  when  they  were  gone ;  but  in  a  few 
days  we  were  to  begin  the  trip  up  the  river,  and 
in  the  meantime  take  the  party  on  such  excur 
sions  as  they  desired  to  make.  Of  course  Owen 
went  with  the  Shepards. 

Chloe  had  made  herself  so  agreeable  to  the  ladies 
that  they  desired  her  to  accompany  them  on  shore. 


78  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

The  steamer  was  in  first-rate  condition,  and  there 
was  nothing  for  anybody  to  do  but  eat  and  sleep. 
Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood  was  still  sulky  because  he 
Jiad  not  been  permitted  to  pilot  the  vessel  up  from 
the  ocean ;  but  I  was  not  disposed  to  comfort  him. 
About  four  o'clock,  it  was  so  quiet  on  board,  I 
thought  I  would  go  on  shore  for  a  while.  Wash- 
burn  was  asleep  in  our  room,  and  I  did  not  dis 
turb  him,  for  we  had  all  been  up  till  after  midnight 
the  night  before,  listening  to  the  music,  and  enjoy 
ing  the  moonlight. 

I  landed  at  the  boat  wharf  opposite  the  Grand 
National  Hotel,  on  Bay  Street.  This  is  the  prin 
cipal  street  of  the  city,  and  both  sides  of  it  are 
lined  with  stores,  warehouses,  and  the  principal 
public  buildings.  It  extends  parallel  with  the 
river.  At  one  end  of  it  is  the  railroad  station  and 
the  Grand  National ;  near  the  other  end  are  the 
Carlton  Hotel  and  the  Yacht  Club  house.  Nearly 
all  the  business  of  the  city  is  done  on  this  street. 

When  the  stranger  leaves  Bay  Street  he  seems 
to  enter  another  country  in  passing  the  distance 
of  a  single  square.  About  all  the  other  streets 
are  bordered  with  live-oaks  or  water-oaks,  and 
ev^ry  house  has  a  flower-garden  and  an  orange 
grove,  on  a  small  scale.  The  balconies  and  veran- 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  79 

das  are  loaded  with  vines,  which  are  in  full  flower 
in  March.  The  air  is  scented  with  the  fragrance 
of  the  jasmine.  The  sidewalks  are  of  wood,  and 
the  roads  are  the  original  soil,  which  looks  like 
the  blue  house-sand  of  the  North. 

St.  James  Park  is  two  squares  from  Bay  Street. 
All  of  one  side  of  it  is  occupied  by  the  St.  James 
Hotel.  In  the  centre  of  the  park  is  a  small  kiosk, 
from  which  one  may  take  in  the  surroundings. 
Like  all  the  rest  of  Florida,  even  the  fertile  orange 
groves,  the  soil  looks  like  blue  sand.  There  are 
plenty  of  semi-tropical  plants,  and  the  scene  is  as 
unlike  anything  in  the  North  as  possible.  In 
every  lot  there  are  orange- trees,  with  oranges  on 
them ;  but  they  are  not  the  eatable  fruit.  They 
are  bitter  or  sour  oranges,  which  remain  on  the 
trees  all  winter. 

The  orange-trees  blossom  in  March ;  and  then 
the  air  is  densely  loaded  with  their  perfume.  The 
leaves  remain  green  all  winter;  but  in  the  early 
spring  they  begin  to  put  forth  new  shoots  and 
leaves.  The  old  leaves  are  dark  green,  and  the 
new  ones  light.  On  the  same  tree  may  be  seen 
the  old  and  the  new  leaves,  the  ripe  fruit,  and  the 
richly-scented  blossoms.  Coming  from  the  frozen 
North  in  March,  the  traveller  seems  to  be  hurled 


80  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

into  "  eternal  summer,"  more  like  fairy-land  than 
anything  else,  as  the  wheels  whirl  him  into  Jack 
sonville. 

I  had  seen  the  place  in  December,  coming  from 
the  summer  of  a  more  northern  latitude.  I  had 
spent  the  winter  in  more  tropical  regions,  and  the 
flowers  and  the  oranges  were  nothing  new  to  me. 
When  I  landed  I  was  thinking  of  the  post-office, 
which  was  my  first  objective  point.  "We  had  been 
moving  about  so  much  that  I  had  not  received  a 
single  letter  since  I  left  Jacksonville  in  December. 
The  post-office  is  on  Bay  Street,  nearer  the  north 
ern  than  the  southern  end  of  the  street.  I  walked 
in  that  direction  ;  but  I  had  not  gone  ten  rods  be 
fore  I  saw  Captain  Boomsby  standing  at  the  door 
of  one  of  the  numerous  saloons  on  that  street. 

I  halted  to  look  at  him.  His  face  was  very  red, 
and  he  had  grown  quite  stout  since  he  sailed  the 
Great  West,  in  which  I  had  had  the  roughest  expe 
rience  of  my  lifetime  with  him.  He  wore  no  coat, 
for  his  fat  and  the  fires  of  the  whiskey  he  drank 
kept  him  in  a  fever-heat  all  the  time.  I  kept  back 
behind  a  pile  of  goods  on  the  sidewalk  while  I 
surveyed  him,  and  I  hoped  he  would  not  see 
me.  He  seemed  to  be  waiting  for  customers  ;  and 
though  I  desired  him  to  have  none,  I  wished  him 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  81 

to  retire  within  his  shop,  and  allow  me  to  pass 
without  being  seen. 

I  was  dressed  in  the  full  uniform  of  the  steam- 
3'acht,  with  a  white  canvas  cap.  He  had  seen  me 
in  this  rig  enough  to  know  it,  and  my  chances  of 
passing  him  without  being  seen  were  very  small. 
But  I  was  not  afraid  of  him,  and  I  was  rather 
ashamed  of  the  idea  of  dodging  him.  Taking  the 
outside  of  the  sidewalk,  and  looking  intently  at 
the  other  side  of  the  street,  where  the  retail  dry- 
goods  and  curiosity  shops  were  located,  I  at 
tempted  to  get  by  the  saloon  without  being  seen 
by  its  proprietor. 

"Why,  Sandy,  how  are  you?"  demanded  Cap 
tain  Boomsby,  rushing  out  to  me  and  seizing  me 
by  the  hand. 

In  spite  of  my  hanging  back,  he  dragged  me  to 
the  door  of  the  saloon. 

"How  do  you  do,  Captain  Boomsby?"  I  replied 
coldly. 

"Come  in  and  take  sunthin',  Sandy,"  he  per 
sisted,  dragging  me  into  the  saloon  in  spite  of  my 
resistance.  "  You  are  about  man-grown  now,  and 
I  cal'late  you  can  take  a  drop  of  whiskey,  on  a 
pinch." 

"  No,  I  thank  you ;  I  never  take  any,"  I  re- 
6 


82  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

plied,  disgusted  with  his  manner  and  his  invita 
tion. 

"You  hain't  been  to  sea  all  this  time  without 
learnin'  to  take  your  grog?"  he  continued,  with  a 
coarse  laugh. 

"I  never  drank  a  drop  in  my  life,  and  I  don't 
mean  to  do  so,"  I  answered. 

"  You'll  learn  in  good  time.  Set  down,  Sandy, 
and  tell  me  where  you've  been." 

I  told  him  in  as  few  words  as  possible  where  I 
had  been,  and  answered  all  his  questions  about  my 
passengers.  Then  he  told  me  he  lived  over  the 
saloon,  and  insisted  that  I  should  go  up  and  see 
the  "  old  woman."  I  was  a  little  curious  to  see 
Mrs.  Boomsby,  and  I  followed  him  up-stairs. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN- FLORIDA.  83 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    DISAGREEABLE    ROOM-MATE. 

I  HAD  not  seen  Mrs.  Boomsby  for  several  years ; 
and  though  I  had  no  reason  to  expect  anything 
but  abuse  from  her,  my  curiosity  induced  me  to 
see  her.  If  anything,  she  was  more  of  a  tyrant 
than  her  brutal  husband,  and'  I  had  no  occasion  to 
thank  her  for  anything  she  had  done  for  me.  She 
was  the  more  plucky  of  the  pair,  and  it  had  sur 
prised  me,  years  before,  to  learn  that  she  "  ruled 
the  roost."  At  that  time  the  captain  was  actually 
afraid  of  her. 

"You  have  got  pretty  well  up  in  the  world, 
Captain  Boomsby,"  I  said  when  we  had  gone  up 
two  flights  of  stairs  and  were  about  to  ascend  a 
third. 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  let  all  these  lower  rooms ; 
and  the  folks  is  jest  as  well  off*  up  three  pair  of 
stairs  as  up  one,"  he  replied,  almost  out  of  breath, 
for  the  stairs  told  more  heavily  on  him  than  on  me. 
"  Besides,  I  like  to  have  the  old  woman  as  far  as  I 


84  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

can  from  the  business  ;  she  don't  interfere  so  much 
then." 

The  old  reprobate  chuckled  then  as  though  he 
had  said  something  smart ;  but  I  would  have  given 
a  quarter  to  have  had  his  wife  o\  erhear  the  remark, 
for  the  fun  of  the  scene  that  would  have  ensued. 

"  Parker  Boomsby !  where  on  earth  air  you 
goin'?"  shouted  a  shrill,  but  very  familiar  voice 
on  the  floor  below  us. 

"All  right,"  replied  the  captain,  evidently  much 
disturbed  by  the  call.  "  I  thought  she  was  up 
here  ;  but  she  always  turns  up  just  where  you  don't 
want  her.  But  come  up,  Sandy ;  I  want  to  show 
you  a  room  I've  fixed  up." 

"  No,  I  thank  you  ;  as  Mrs.  Boomsby  is  not  up 
here,  I  think  I  will  go  down,"  I  replied,  beginning 
to  retrace  my  steps. 

"  What  are  you  doin'  with  strangers  up  gerret, 
Parker  Boomsby  ?  "  demanded  the  lady  on  the  floor 
below. 

"  I've  got  sunthin'  up  here  that  belongs  to  you, 
Sandy ;  I  want  to  give  it  to  you,"  pleaded  the 
captain.  "  I  fetched  you  up  here  to  give  it  to  you 
afore  I  took  you  in  to  see  the  old  woman." 

I  concluded  that  he  had  some  reason  for  taking 
me  to  the  attic  of  the  house,  and  I  was  curious  to 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  85 

know  what  it  was.  It  is  true  he  had  led  me  to 
believe  that  his  wife  was  in  this  part  of  the  house ; 
but  that  might  have  been  one  of  his  huge  jokes.  I 
followed  him  up  the  last  flight  of  stairs.  I  was 
then  on  the  fourth  floor  of  the  house.  There  were 
two  large  and  two  small  chambers  in  this  attic, 
none  of  which  appeared  to  be  furnished. 

"It  is  in  this  room,"  said  Captain  Boomsby, 
leading  me  into  the  rear  hall  chamb.er.  "It's  a 
little  grain  dark  in  here." 

I  saAv  that  the  window  that  looked  out  on  the 
river-side  of  the  house  had  been  boarded  up.  He 
led  the  way  into  the  room,  and  I  followed  him. 

"  I've  got  a  picter  of  you  when  you  wasn't  more'n 
four  year  old.  It  was  taken  when  you  was  in  the 
poor-house,  by  a  feller  that  come  along  taking 
picters,  to  show  what  he  could  do.  It  hangs  on 
the  wall  over  here,"  continued  the  captain,  passing 
between  me  and  the  door.  "  You  can  look  at  it 
all  the  rest  of  the  day,  if  you  like." 

Suddenly  he  dodged  out  of  the  door,  and  I  heard 
the  bolt  spring  as  he  locked  the  door  behind  him. 
I  had  not  expected  that  he  would  resort  to  any 
trick  to  get  possession  of  me ;  and  I  had  been  as 
unsuspicious  as  though  I  were  on  board  of  the 
Sylvania.  In  fact,  I  was  amazed  at  the  hardihood 


86  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

of  the  man  in  attempting  to  make  a  prisoner  of  me 
in  this  manner.  For  some  reason  or  other,  I  was 
not  at  all  alarmed  at  my  situation.  I  did  not  con 
sider  the  door  absolutely  invulnerable  ;  and  I  was 
confident  that  I  had  strength  enough  to  remove  the 
boards  that  had  been  nailed  up  before  the  window. 

When  I  had  been  in  the  room  a  few  minutes, 
there  was  light  enough  wiiich  came  through  the 
cracks  in  the  boards  before  the  window  to  enable 
me  to  see  where  I  was.  There  was  not  an  article 
of  furniture  of  any  kind  in  the  apartment.  The 
boards  appeared  to  be  securely  fastened,  not  with 
nails,  as  I  had  supposed,  but  with -screws.  The 
boards  were  of  hard  pine,  and  about  as  strong  as 
oak.  My  prison  was  stronger  than  it  seemed  at 
first. 

I  came  to  the  conclusion  before  I  had  been  in 
the  room  ten  minutes,  that  this  apartment  had  been 
prepared  for  my  reception.  Captain  Boomsby 
knew  that  the  Sylvania  was  to  return  to  Jackson 
ville,  as  others  did.  It  was  plain  that  he  had  not 
yet  given  up  the  idea  of  possessing  the  steamer. 
He  claimed  to  be  my  guardian,  and  to  have  the 
legal  right  to  possess  whatever  belonged  to  me. 
Camngton  had  told  him  my  father  was  dead,  and 
he  believed  he  could  carry  his  point.  I  had  cer- 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  87 

tainly  been  bound  out  to  him  until  I  was  of  age ; 
but  he  had  surrendered  all  his  claims  to  me  in 
writing  to  my  father,  though  this  document  had 
been  destroyed  in  the  fire. 

The  fact  that  I  had  a  father,  rendered  his  claim 
upon  me  of  no  value.  I  was  satisfied  that  no 
lawyer  would  undertake  the  case  he  proposed  to 
make  out  against  me.  I  learned  that  he  had  tried 
in  Charleston  to  employ  a  legal  gentleman  to  assist 
him  in  his  work  of  getting  possession  of  the 
steamer ;  but  no  one  could  furnish  any  warrant  of 
law  for  the  proceeding.  I  was  not  disposed  to 
bother  my  head  with  the  legal  aspect  of  the  case, 
for  my  ancient  enemy  certainly  had  no  legal  right 
to  kidnap  me,  and  make  me  a  prisoner  in  his  own 
house.  I  was  a  prisoner ;  and  when  I  came  .to  a 
realizing  sense  of  the  fact,  I  was  ready  for  business. 

"  What  on  airth  are  you  doin'  up  here,  Parker 
Boomsby  ?  "  snarled  the  wife  of  that  worthy ;  and 
as  I  stood  at  the  door  of  my  prison,  I  could  hear 
her  pant  from  the  violence  of  her  exertions  in  as 
cending  the  stairs,  for,  like  her  liege  lord,  she  had 
greatly  increased  her  avoirdupois  since  I  lived  with 
the  family  at  Glossenbury.  Possibly  she  drank 
too  much  whiskey,  like  the  companion  of  her  joys 
and  sorrows,  though  I  had  no  information  on  this 


88  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

point.  I  only  kneAv  that  she  used  to  take  a  little 
when  she  was  too  hot  or  too  cold,  when  she  was 
wet  or  when  she  was  dry. 

"  Hush,  Nancy  !  Don't  cut  up  now  !  "  pleaded 
the  master  of  the  house,  as  perhaps  he  supposed 
he  was. 

"  Don't  talk  to  me,  Parker  Boomsby  !  What  are 
you  a-doin'  up  here  ?  What  sort  of  a  con-spy-racy 
be  yo.u  gittin'  up  at  this  blessed  moment  ?  Don't 
talk  to  me  about  cuttin'  up  !  It  is  you  that  is  allus 
cuttin'  up,  and  never  tellin'  your  peaceful,  sufferin' 
wife  what  you  are  doin',"  replied  Mrs.  Boomsby  ; 
and  I  was  confident  she  had  been  drinking  to  some 
extent,  from  her  maudlin  tones. 

"  Hush,  Nancy  !  I've  got  Sandy  Duddleton, 
with  all  his  fine  sodjer's  clothes  on,  in  that  room," 
said  the  captain,  in  a  tone  of  triumph.  "  I  shall 
make  him  give  up  that  steam-yachet ;  and  I  shall 
run  her  as  a  reg'lar  line  up  to  Green  Cove  Springs, 
stoppin'  at  our  orange  farm  both  ways,"  replied 
Captain  Boomsby,  using  his  best  efforts  to  appease 
the  anger  of  his  spouse. 

"Hev  you  got  him  in  there  ?"  demanded  the  lady, 
evidently  entirely  mollified  by  the  announcement 
of  her  husband.  "  I  want  to  see  him.  I  hain't  sot 
eyes  on  him  sence  I  see  him  in  Michigan." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  89 

"  It  won't  do  to  open  the  door  :  he'll  git  away  if 
I  do.  Wait  till  he  gits  tamed  down  a  little,  and 
then  you  shall  see  him.  Good  gracious  !  I  forgot 
all  about  the  bar !  Jest  as  like  as  not  some  nigger 
will  come  in  and  help  hisself  to  the  best  liquor  be 
hind  the  counter.  Run  down,  Nancy,  and  tell 
Nicholas  to  tend  to  the  bar,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Run  down  yourself,  you  old  fool !  "  replied  the 
amiable  lady.  "Do  you  think  I  come  clear  up 
here  for  nothin'  ?  I  want  to  see  Sandy  Duddleton 
in  his  sodjer's  clothes." 

"  It  won't  do  to  open  that  door :  he  will  git  out 
if  you  do.  But  I  must  go  down  and  look  out  for 
the  bar.  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  I  had  lost  ten  cents 
by  this  time,"  replied  Captain  Boomsby ;  and  I 
heard  his  heavy  step  on  the  stairs  as  he  went  down. 

A  moment  later  I  heard  a  hand  applied  to  the 
handle  of  the  door,  and  I  had  no  doubt  it  was  Mrs. 
Boomsby  trying  to  open  it  in  order  to  obtain  a 
view  of  "  Sandy  Duddleton,"  which  was  the  name 
by  which  I  was  known  when  an  inmate  of  the  poor- 
house.  But  the  door  was  locked,  and  the  key  was 
in  the  pocket  of  the  proprietor  of  the  saloon.  The 
lady  seemed  to  be  angry  because  she  could  not  get 
into  the  room  where  I  was ;  and  I  must  add  that 
I  was  also  sorry  she  could  not,  for  if  she  could  get 
in,  I  could  get  out. 


90  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

She  tried  the  door  several  times,  but  she  could 
not  get  in.  She  said  nothing  to  me  ;  and  as  I  ex 
pected  no  assistance  from  her,  I  said  nothing. 
Presently  I  heard  her  step  on  the  stairs,  hardly 
less  heavy  than  that  of  her  husband.  I  concluded 
that  it  must  be  five  o'clock  by  this  time  ;  and  look 
ing  at  my  watch,  I  found  it  wras  half  an  hour  later. 
I  wanted  to  get  out  before  dark ;  and  so  far,  I  had 
not  matured  any  plan  to  accomplish  this  purpose. 
I  went  to  the  window,  and  examined  the  boards 
which  had  been  screwed  up  before  it. 

I  had  a  large  jack-knife  in  my  pocket,  which  I 
had  carried  for  several  years.  It  had  a  kind  of 
scimitar-shaped  blade  I  had  used  when  at  work  on 
rigging.  But  I  had  little  hope  of  being  able 
to  remove  the  screws  from  the  hard  pine,  wrhich 
was  as  hard  to  wrork  as  oak.  I  struck  a  match  I 
had  in  my  pocket,  and  by  the  light  of  it  made  a 
careful  examination  of  the  screw-heads  in  the 
boards.  I  saw  that  holes  had  been  bdred  in  the 
wood  to  admit  the  screws :  indeed,  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  get  them  through  without  bor 
ing.  Of  course  this  would  make  it  easier  to  re 
move  the  screws. 

But  what  was  the  use  of  taking  down  the  boards 
in  front  of  the  window  ?  I  could  not  jump  down 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  91 

from  the  attic  floor  of  the  building.  Yet  I  could 
go  to  the  next  window,  come  into  the  house  again, 
and  then  go  down-stairs,  the  same  as  anybody 
would.  I  noticed  that  the  lowest  board  was  not 
more  than  two  inches  wide  :  it  had  been  cut  to  fit 
what  remained  uncovered  of  the  window.  I  ap 
plied  my  knife  to  the  screws  in  this  narrow  strip. 
Though  they  were  hard  to  move,  I  succeeded  in 
getting  them  out.  But  the  labor  of  taking  down 
the  rest  of  the  boards,  or  enough  of  them  to  enable 
me  to  pass  out,  was  so  great  that  I  was  discouraged 
in  the  attempt  to  accomplish  it.  The  end  of  the 
knife-blade  did  not  fit  the  slit  of  the  screw. 

The  removal  of  the  narrow  board  admitted  light 
enough  to  enable  me  to  see  all  about  the  room. 

O 

Next  to  the  door  which  opened  into  the  hall  was 
another,  which  I  concluded  led  into  a  closet.  There 
was  no  picture  of  me  when  I  was  a  small  child ; 
and  I  wondered  if  Captain  Boomsby  had  invented 
that  fable  on  the  spot.  I  was  not  willing  to  believe 
it.  It  would  have  required  too  great  an  exercise 
of  imaginative  power  for  him  ;  and  it  was  not  un 
likely  that  he  had  spent  weeks  in  evolving  the 
brilliant  fiction. 

I  did  not  expect  to  be  left  alone  and  unguarded 
for  any  great  length  of  time.    My  persecutor  knew 


92  DOAVX    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

that  I  had  some  enterprise  about  me,  and  that  I 
would  not  tamely  submit  to  my  imprisonment. 
Perhaps  he  noticed  that  I  wore  light  shoes,  and 
should  not  be  likely  to  kick  the  door  down  with 
them,  as  I  might  if  I  had  on  thick  cowhide  boots. 
I  picked  up  the  narrow  strip  of  board  I  had  re 
moved  from  the  window ;  it  was  very  heavy  for 
its  size.  If  I  had  got  a  purchase  on  the  door  of 
the  room,  I  could  have  pried  it  down ;  but  there 
was  no  chance  to  get  hold  of  it. 

Possibly  there  was  something  in  the  closet  that 
would  aid  me.  I  opened  the  door.  As  I  did  so, 
an  ugly-looking  snake  darted  out  into  the  room. 
He  coiled  himself  up  in  one  corner  of  the  room 
and  showed  fight,  while  I  fled  to  the  opposite 
corner. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  93 


CHAPTER   IX. 

A  BATTLE  WITH  THE  SERPENT. 

I  HAD  no  idea  what  the  snake  was,  for  I  had 
never  seen  one  of  that  kind  before.  I  am  not 
particularly  afraid  of  snakes,  though  they  are  very 
disagreeable  to  me.  When  I  was  at  work  in  the 
field  as  a  farmer,  I  suppose  I  never  lost  an  oppor 
tunity  to  kill  one  that  came  in  my  way.  But  all 
these  were  harmless  reptiles,  and  of  late  years  I 
have  not  been  disposed  to  meddle  with  them. 

The  snake  that  introduced  himself  to  me  so  un 
expectedly  was  not  more  than  three  feet  long.  He 
was  of  a  greenish-brown  color,  with  some  yellow 
on  the  sides.  I  had  the  strip  of  board  I  had  taken 
from  the  window  in  my  hand  when  the  reptile 
darted  out  of  the  closet.  I  don't  think  he  had  any 
particular  intentions,  at  first,  except  to  get  out  of 
his  prison,  as  I  had  to  get  out  of  mine.  I  could 
not  blame  him  for  anything  he  had  done  so  far. 
Like  myself,  he  was  a  prisoner,  and  we  ought  to 
have  been  in  full  sympathy  with  each  other. 


94  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

I  had  released  his  snakeship  from  one  prison, 
and  placed  him  so  much  nearer  to  entire  freedom. 
To  this  extent  I  was  entitled  to  his  gratitude, 
though  I  did  not  expect  much  of  him.  As  he 
darted  out  of  the  closet,  I  sprang  from  his  path 
into  the  corner  of  the  room,  behind  the  hall-door. 
The  next  instant  he  was  coiled  into  a  round  heap. 
Then  he  raised  his  head  from  the  middle  of  the  coil 
about  a  foot,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  though  it  could 
hardly  have  been  so  high. 

So  for  from  feeling  anything  like  gratitude  for 
the  favor  I  had  done  him,  the  villain  made  war 
upon  me.  Suddenly  he  made  a  spring  at  me  ;  but 
I  had  both  eyes  wide  open,  and  was  watching  him 
with  the  most  intense  anxiety.  As  he  leaped,  I 
hit  him  with  the  stick  in  my  hand ;  and  he  fetched 
up  against  the  wall,  on  the  inside  of  the  closet.  I 
have  no  doubt  his  striking  against  the  partition 
caused  some  confusion  in  his  ideas  :  at  any  rate,  he 
dropped  on  the  floor,  and  began  to  wriggle  about 
in  such  a  manner  as  no  decent  snake  would,  unless 
his  ideas  were  confused. 

My  curiosity  in  regard  to  that  identical  snake 
was  entirely  satisfied,  and  I  made  haste  to  close  the 
closet-door.  I  felt  that  I  had  no  further  business 
with  that  snake.  It  has  taken  me  some  time  to 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  95 

tell  about  this  reptile  ;  but  I  think  the  villain  was 
not  out  of  the  closet  more  than  three  seconds ;  at 
any  rate,  it  was  a  very  few  seconds.  He  did  busi 
ness  with  great  rapidity.  He  had  lost  no  time  in 
coming  out  of  his  prison,  and  none  in  making  his 
attack  on  me.  He  had  wasted  no  time  in  conduct 
ing  operations ;  and  if  I  had  not  had  the  bit  of 
board  in  my  hand,  I  am  afraid  the  snake  would 
have  got  the  better  of  me. 

At  the  time  I  had  no  acquaintance  with  this 
snake,  though  he  never  waits  for  a  formal  intro 
duction  when  he  means  business.  I  know  now 
that  he  was  a  moccasin.  I  saw  many  of  them  in 
the  woods  of  Florida.  They  are  as  venomous  as 
the  rattlesnake,  and  are  even  more  dreaded  by 
many  people,  for  they  give  no  notice  of  their  inten 
tion  to  strike.  In  the  English  books  of  natural 
history  this  snake  is  called  the  water  viper.  The 
copperhead  is  one  of  the  same  sort. 

I  felt  as  happy  as  the  patron  saint  of  Ireland 
must  have  felt  after  he  had  boxed  up  the  old  ser 
pent,  and  sunk  him  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  I 
had  the  enemy  where  he  could  not  harm  me,  for  it 
was  not  possible  for  him  to  make  his  way  through 
the  door.  I  took  the  precaution  to  see  that  there 
were  no  holes  or  cracks  through  which  the  snake 


96  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

could  again  force  himself  into  my  unwilling  com 
pany.  I  could  find  no  opening  of  any  kind.  For 
the  present  I  felt  entirely  safe. 

Though  I  did  not  know  anything  about  the  kind 
of  snake  I  was  shut  up  with,  I  felt  from  the  begin 
ning  that  he  was  poisonous,  and  that  his  bite  would 
make  an  end  of  me.  I  had  closeted  him  ;  and  now 
I  had  time  to  consider  the  situation.  I  came 
promptly  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  put  into 
that  closet  for  my  benefit.  The  conspiracy  seemed 
to  be  almost  too  crafty  for  Captain  Boomsby; 
though  I  knew  that  he  was  capable  of  doing  such  a 
thing. 

When  I  had  considered  this  subject  for  a  few 
minutes,  I  found  my  blood  boiling  with  indigna 
tion.  Before  I  saw  the  snake,  I  was  more  inclined 
to  regard  the  whole  trick  in  the  light  of  a  practical 
joke,  rather  than  as  a  serious  matter.  It  seemed 
to  me  just  then  that  my  ancient  enemy,  in  his  bar 
gain  with  Carrington,  intended  to  resort  to  some 
such  device  to  get  rid  of  me. 

I  did  not  intend  to  spend  the  night  in  that  attic 
chamber ;  and  when  my  blood  began  to  boil,  I 
aimed  a  blow  at  one  of  the  panels  of  the  door  with 
the  heavy  stick  in  my  hand.  The  thin  board  that 
formed  this  part  of  the  door  split  under  the  blow. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  97 

JC 

I  followed  it  up  as  though  I  had  been  chopping 
wood.  The  panel  shivered  under  the  vigorous 
assault  I  made  upon  it.  In  a  minute,  I  had  a  hole 
through.  Inserting  my  stick  in  the  opening,  I 
pried  out  the  rest  of  the  panel.  But  the  hole  was 
not  big  enough  to  admit  the  passage  of  my  body. 

I  had  hardly  succeeded  in  making  a  breach  in 
the  door,  before  I  heard  the  most  lusty  screams  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  house.  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
recognizing  the  voice  of  Mrs.  Boomsby.  She  heard 
the  noise  of  my  bombardment,  and  was  calling  her 
husband  in  her  usual  affectionate  manner.  But  I 
was  not  at  all  disturbed  by  the  outcry.  I  was  even 
willing  they  should  bring  the  police  to  ,their  assist 
ance.  But  I  did  not  expect  any  outside  aid  would 
be  called  in,  for  that  would  do  the  Boomsbys  more 
harm  than  it  would  me.  In  a  word,  I  did  not  care 
who  came  :  I  intended  to  break  my  way  out  of  my 
prison,  all  the  same. 

Placing  my  stick  edgeways  in  the  opening  I  had 
made,  I  had  a  good  leverage,  the  end  of  the  bar 
being  outside  of  the  stile  of  the  door,  and  the  face 
of  it  against  the  middle  piece.  I  pushed  against 
the  end  of  the  lever  with  all  the  power  I  had.  The 
middle  stile  snapped  in  the  mortise,  for  the  whole 
door  was  not  more  than  an  inch  and  a  quarter  thick. 
7 


98  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

> 

I  had  broken  out  the  mortise,  and  the  lever  went 
"home."  I  could  no  longer  apply  the  implement 
with  effect,  and  I  expected  every  minute  to  see  the 
portly  form  of  Captain  Boomsby  on  the  stairs, 
hurrying  up  to  save  his  prisoner.  But  I  had  no 
fear  of  him  :  if  he  attempted  to  prevent  my  depart 
ure,  I  should  use  the  stick  as  an  argument  with 
him,  as  I  had  done  with  the  door. 

Finding  I  could  no  longer  use  the  lever  to  ad 
vantage,  I  grasped  the  middle  piece  of  the  door 
with  both  hands,  and  gave  a  desperate  pull  at  it. 
There  were  no  nails  or  pins  to  resist  me,  and  the 
parts  of  the  door  snapped  like  pipe-stems.  I 
wrenched  out  the  middle  piece,  and  then  the  other 
panel.  Then  I  had  an  opening  in  the  door  eighteen 
inches  wide,  which  was  almost  enough  to  permit 
the  passage  of  my  fat  foe. 

The  middle  piece  and  both  panels  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  door  lay  in  many  pieces  on  the  floor, 
in  the  room,  and  in  the  hall.  I  used  all  reasonable 
haste  in  making  my  way  through  the  opening  I  had 
forced.  When  I  was  in  the  hall,  I  began  to  feel 
good-natured  again  ;  for  I  will  not  deny  that  I  was 
mad  when  I  realized  my  relations  with  that  snake. 
I  did  not  care  a  straw  for  Captain  Boomsby.  If  it 
came  to  the  worst,  I  believed  I  could  "  handle " 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  99 

him,  to  use  his  own  choice  phrase,  with  the  aid  of 
the  stick  in  my  hand.  I  was  determined  not  to  let 
the  piece  of  hard  pine  go  out  of  my  hands  while  I 
remained  in  the  house. 

Mrs.  Boomsby  was  still  shouting  for  "Parker 
Boomsby,"  for  she  always  called  him  by  his  full 
name  when  she  was  excited.  I  was  willing  she 
should  shout.  I  felt  quite  cool,  composed,  and 
pleasant.  I  was  ready  to  make  an  orderly  retreat 
from  the  house.  But  I  had  not  lost  all  interest  in 
that  snake,  which  I  believed  was  intended  for  my 
executioner.  I  put  my  head  into  the  opening  I 
had  made  in  the  door.  I  found  I  could  reach  the 
door  of  the  closet ;  and  with  a  very  hasty  move 
ment  I  threw  it  wide  open. 

I  wondered  whether  or  not  I  had  killed  his  snake- 
ship  when  I  poked  him  back  into  his  prison.  The 
last  I  had  seen  of  him  he  was  wriggling  on  the 
floor,  stirring  himself  up  in  the  most  lively  manner. 
But  the  reptile  immediately  proved  that  I  had  not 
killed  him  by  darting  out  into  the  room  as  lively 
as  he  had  done  the  same  thing  before.  I  did  not 
believe  it  was  possible  for  him  to  get  out  through 
the  opening  by  which  I  had  escaped  from  m 
prison  ;  but  I  was  not  quite  willing  to  wait  to  tes 
the  question.  The  villain  could  crawl  like  most 


100  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

other  snakes  with  which  I  was  familiar,  but  he  also 
had  a  talent  for  leaping.  I  considered  it  wise  and 
prudent  to  begin  my  retreat  without  any  delay. 

I  took  a  last  Took  at  the  snake.  Pie  had  re 
treated  to  the  corner  of  the  room  opposite  the 
closet-door  and  coiled  himself  up,  with  his  head  in 
the  centre.  He  kept  his  eyes  fixed  on  me,  or  I 
fancied  he  did.  He  looked  as  ugly  as  sin  itself. 
He  seemed  to  me  to  be  as  near  like  Captain 
Boomsby  as  one  pin  is  like  another.  They  both 
did  business  on  the  same  principle.  Mentally  I 
bade  him  an  affectionate  adieu.  So  far  as  I  was 
concerned,  he  seemed  to  have  none  of  the  serpent's 
power  of  fascination,  for  I  had  not  the  slightest 
inclination  to  continue  gazing  at  him  after  I  had 
gratified  my  curiosity.  I  descended  the  upper 
flight  of  stairs.  The  doors  of  the  rooms  on  this 
floor  were  all  open,  and  I  saw  that  the  two  rear 
chambers  were  furnished  as  bedrooms. 

I  went  into  one  of  these  rooms,  and  seated  my 
self  in  a  chair.  Mrs.  Boomsby  was  on  the  floor 
below,  standing  at  the  head  of  the  stairs,  calling 
for  her  husband.  It  has  taken  me  a  long  time  to 
record  the  incidents  of  my  escape  so  far,  and  my 
reflections  upon  them ;  but  when  I  looked  at  my 
watch  I  found  that  only  eight  minutes  had  elapsed 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA,  101 

since  I  consulted  it  before,  at  half  past  five.  Prob 
ably  it  was  not  five  minutes  from  the.  time  I  first 
saw  the  snake  till  I  was  seated  in  the  chair  in  the 
room  below.  The  lady  of  the  house  had  not, 
therefore,  stood  a  great  while  in  her  present  posi 
tion.  Her  husband  had  had  time  enough  to.  come 
up-stairs  since  he  was  first  called,  but  he  probably 
had  a  customer  in  the  saloon. 

As  I  sat  in  the  chair,  I  suddenly  began  to  wonder 
whether  snakes  had  a  talent  for  coming  down-stairs. 
The  idea  was  just  a  little  bit  appalling,  for  I  had 
no  desire  to  meet  his  snakeship  again.  Neither 
the  stairs  nor  the  halls  were  carpeted.  If  he  came 
down  in  the  usual  way,  I  should  be  likely  to  hear 
him  tumbling  down  the  steps.  But  I  rejected  this 
idea ;  for  on  further  reflection  I  concluded  that  a 
snake  would  not  come  down  like  a  man,  when  there 
was  a  better  way  for  one  of  his  habits  to  accom 
plish  the  purpose.  Whatever  the  villain  was,  if 
he  came  down  at  all,  he  would  take  to  the  stair- 
rail.  I  felt  sure  of  this,  for  it  seemed  to  be  the 
most  natural  thing  for  a  snake  to  do. 

I  could  not  see  how  the  snake  was  to  get  out  of 
the  room.  I  did  not  think  he  could  crawl  up  to 
the  opening  I  had  made,  for  there  wras  nothing  for 
him  to  fasten  to  in  his  ascent.  It  did  not  seem  to 


102  DOAVN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

me  that  he  could  get  out  unless  he  made  a  flying 
leap  through  the  opening.  I  was  by  no  means 
sure  he  could  not  do  this  ;  and  I  did  not  care  to 
wait  for  him  to  experiment  on  the  matter.  Just 
then  it  occurred  to  me  that  I  was  not  the  only 
person  liable  to  be  bitten  by  that  snaked  As  I 
thought  of  it,  I  walked  down  the  stairs.  I  knew 
that  Mrs.  Boomsby  had  a  mortal  terror  of  snakes 
when  I  lived  with  the  family. 

She  confronted  me  in  the  hall  of  the  second  story. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      103 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    FELLOW    IN    THE    LOCK-UP. 

'  TTOU    abominable   wretch  !  "    exclaimed   Mrs. 

JL  Boomsby,  placing  her  arms  akimbo,  and 
looking  at  me  with  the  utmost  ferocity,  so  that 
between  her  and  the  snake  I  found  there  was  little 
choice.  "  What  are  you  a-doin'  in  my  house  ?  " 

"  Getting  out  of  it,  Mrs.  Boomsby,"  I  replied, 
with  the  good-nature  I  had  been  nursing  up-stairs 
for  several  minutes. 

I  wondered  whether  she  knew  anything  about 
the  snake.  The  bare  thought  was  enough  to  assure 
me  that  she  did  not.  She  would  no  more  have 
permitted  the  captain,  or  any  other  person,  to 
bring  the  most  harmless  reptile  into  the  house, 
than  she  would  have  opened  her  sleeping  apart 
ment  for  the  reception  of  the  sea-serpent,  in  which 
both  she  and  her  husband  believed  as  in  the  ocean 
itself. 

"  What  are  you  a-doin'  here  ?  Can't  you  let  us 
be  here  no  more'n  you  could  in  Michigan?  Must 


104  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

you  pursue  us  wherever  we  go?"  demanded  the 
lady,  putting  the  matter  in  an  entirely  new  light 
to  me,  for  I  believed  I  had  always  been  able  and 
willing  to  keep  away  from  the  Boomsbys. 

"I  was  invited  up-stairs  to  see  "you,"  I  began. 

"  Don't  tell  me  that !  Do  you  think  I  live  in 
the  garret?" 

"  I  thought  we  were  going  rather  high  up ;  but 
I  supposed  Captain  Boomsby  knew  where  to  find 
you,"  I  replied,  smiling  as  sweetly  as  though  there 
were  no  snakes  in  the  Land  of  Flowers.  "  But  it 
seems  that  your  husband  lured  me  up  there  to 
make  a  prisoner  of  me.  He  locked  me  into  the 
little  room  in  the  rear  attic,  which  he  had  fitted 
up  for  me  by  screwing  boards  over  the  window." 

"  Don't  tell  me  such  a  ry-dicerlous  story !  I 
don't  believe  a  word  on't.  Nobody  ever  could 
believe  a  word  you  say,  Sandy  Duddleton !  " 

"  You  know  very  well  that  I  was  up  there  ;  for 
I  heard  your  husband  tell  you  so.  You  talked 
with  him  about  it,  and  insisted  upon  seeing  me. 
But  I  don't  wish  to  dispute  about  this  matter 
with  you,  for  I  don't  think  you  understand  all 
his  plans,"  I  replied,  moving  towards  the  head  of 
the  stairs,  while  she  planted  herself  before  me  so 
as  to  prevent  my  going  down. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      105 

"Don't  talk  to  me,  Sandy  Duddleton  !  " 

"  I  won't  talk  to  you^f  you  will  get  out  of  my 
way,  and  let  me  out  of  the  house,"  I  replied,  try 
ing  to  get  by  her. 

"  What  be  you  go'n'  to  do  with  that  stick  ?  "  she 
asked,  as  she  placed  herself  in  front  of  me. 

But  I  saw  that  she  had  a  reasonable  respect  for 
the  stick,  and  she  wa£  milder  than  I  had  seen  her 
twenty  times  before.  I  looked  about  me  to  see 
if  there  was  any  other  flight  of  stairs  which  would 
take  me  to  the  street,  or  to  the  back  yard,  which 
opened  into  a  lane  by  the  shore  of  the  river. 
From  the  lower  hall  a  door  opened  into  the  sa 
loon  ;  and  this  was  the  way  by  which  I  had  come 
up.  I  stood  in  the  hall  with  my  back  to  a  door, 
which  I  concluded  must  lead  to  the  rear  of  the 
house.  Without  turning  around,  I  opened  this 
door. 

"What  be  you  a-doin'?"  demanded  Mrs.  Booms- 
by,  w"hen  she  saw  that  she  was  flanked ;  for  a 
glance  behind  me  revealed  the  back  stairs.  "  Par 
ker  Boomsby,  come  right  up  here,  this  minute  !  " 
she  called  down  the  front  stairs. 

"  I  won't  trouble  the  captain,"  I  interposed.  "  I 
have  a  word  to  say  to  you  before  I  go,  Mrs. 
Boomsby.  "  I  don't  think  you  knew  there  was  a 


106  DOWN    SOUTH  :    OR, 

snake  about  three  feet  long  in  the  room  where 
your  husband  made  me  a  prisoner." 

"A  snake!"  gasped  the  lady  of  the  house, 
starting  back  with  alarm.  "  I  don't  believe  a 
word  on't !  " 

But  she  did  believe  it,  whatever  she  said. 

"  Yes,  a  snake ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  he  is  a 
poisonous  one,  put  there  to  fcite  me,  and  make  an 
end  of  me,  so  that  the  captain  could  get  posses 
sion  of  the  steam-yacht !  "  I  continued,  rather  vig 
orously,  for  I  was  afraid  I  should  be  interrupted 
by  the  coming  of  the  captain. 

"  A  snake  in  this  house !  a  pizen  one,  too ! " 
groaned  Mrs.  Boomsby. 

"  He  was  put  in  the  closet ;  and  when  I  opened 
the  door  he  came  out  and  made  a  spring  at  me. 
I  left  him  in  that  room." 

"Didn't  you  kill  him,  Sandy  Duddleton?  You 
used  to  kill  snakes." 

"  I  didn't  kill  this  one,  though  I  struck  at  him. 
I  broke  through  the  door,  and,  for  aught  I  know, 
the  snake  is  following  me  down-stairs,"  I  replied 
deliberately.  "  I  think  you  will  see  him  coining 
down  on  the  stair-rail." 

She  did  not  wait  to  hear  any  more,  but,  with  a 
tremendous  scream,  rushed  by  me,  bolted  into  the 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IX  FLORIDA.      107 

front  room,  and  closed  and  locked  the  door  behind 
her.  I  certainly  did  not  wish  the  reptile  to  bite 
her  or  her  children  ;  but  I  did  not  think  there  was 
much  danger  of  the  villain  getting  out  of  the  room 
through  the  opening  I  had  made  in  the  door. 

The  scream  of  the  stout  lady  did  not  appear  to 
move  her  husband,  who  was  probably  used  to  .this 
sort  of  thing.  I  had  put  her  on  her  guard  in  case 
the  snake  did  work  his  way  out  of  the  room  and 
down  the  stairs.  I  had  done  my  duty,  and  I 
walked  leisurely  down  to  the  hall.  The  door  lead 
ing  into  the  saloon  was  still  wide  open.  The  uses 
of  this  door  were  many  and  various.  I  had  been 
not  a  little  surprised  in  some  of  the  Southern  cities 
to  notice  that  the  drinking-saloons  were  all  closed 
on  Sunday.  In  some  of  them  not  even  a  cigar 
could  be  bought  at  the  hotel  on  that  day. 

Doubtless  the  law  was  as  strict  in  Jacksonville 
as  elsewhere  ;  but  I  had  noticed  that  every  saloon 
had  a  side  door  for  Sunday  use.  The  front  door 
of  the  house  was  closed  on  other  days ;  on  Sun 
day  it  was  left  open,  as  an  intimation  that  the 
saloon  could  be  reached  in  that  way.  I  thought  of 
this  Sunday  rum-selling  as  I  noticed  the  arrange 
ment  of  the  doors.  Of  course  the  police  under 
stood  it. 


108  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

I  approached  the  door  opening  into  the  saloon, 
for  I  heard  the  voice  of  my  former  tyrant.  I 
wanted  to  assure  him  that  I  was  happy  still,  and 
that  he  had  better  look  out  for  the  snake  before 
he  bit  any  of  his  family. 

"  He  never  could  get  out  of  there  in  this  world  !  " 
exclaimed  Captain  Boomsby,  as  I  was  about  to  en 
ter  the  saloon. 

"Do  you  think  so,  Captain  Boomsby?"  I  coolly 
asked,  as  I  walked  into  the  room. 

To  my  astonishment,  the  person  to  whom  the 
Captain's  remark  appeared  to  be  addressed  was 
Mr.  Kirby  Cornwood,  whom  I  had  left  on  board 
of  the  Sylvania,  asleep  under  the  awning.  The 
Floridian  was  evidently  as  much  astonished  to  see 
me  as  I  was  to  see  him. 

"We  were  speaking  of  a  fellow  who  was  ar 
rested  last  night,"  said  Cornwood,  with  one  of  his 
blandest  smiles.  "  I  think  he  will  get  out  of  the 
lock-up  in  less  than  three  days ;  but  the  keeper 
of  this  place  remarked  that  he  would  never  get 
out  in  this  world.  Only  a  slight  difference  of 
opinion." 

"  I  tell  you  the  fellow  will  never  get  out ;  he 
isn't  smart  enough  in  the  first  place,  and  the 
lock-up  is  stronger  than  you  think  for,  Mr.  —  I 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  109 

don't  know 's  I  know  your  name,  though  I  cal'late 
I  have  seen  you  somewhere  afore,"  added  Captain 
Boomsby. 

"I  reckon  you  have  seen  me  here  before,"  re 
plied  Cornwood,  taking  his  card  from  his  pocket 
and  presenting  it  to  the  captain. 

"  I  can't  read  it  without  my  glasses,"  said  the 
saloon-keeper,  holding  the  card  off  at  arm's  length. 

"  My  name  is  Kirby  Cornwood,"  added  the  Flo- 
ridian. 

"Well,  Mr.  Corngood,  do  you  —  " 

"My  name  is  Cornwood,"  interposed  the  guide. 

"  I  beg  your  parding,  Mr.  Cornwool." 

"  Cornwood,"  repeated  the  owner  of  that  name, 
rather  indignantly. 

"All  right,  Mr.  Cornwood.  Do  you  want  to 
bet  sunthin'  that  man  won't  git  out  within  three 
days?"  continued  Captain  Boomsby. 

"  I  don't  care  to  bet  on  it ;  in  fact  I  never  bet," 
replied  Mr.  Cornwood,  glancing  at  me,  as  though 
he  expected  me  to  approve  this  position,  which  I 
certainly  did,  though  I  said  nothing. 

"  I  will  bet  five  dollars  agin  three  the  feller  gits 
out  in  less  than  three  days,  Mr.  Woodcorn,"  per 
sisted  Captain  Boomsby. 

I  could  not  see  what  the  captain  was  driving  at, 


110  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

unless  it  was  to  vex  the  Floridian  by  miscalling 
his  name.  I  had  known  him  to  do  the  same  thing 
before.  If  my  old  tyrant  had  manifested  some 
surprise  at  first  at  seeing  me,  he  seemed  to  have 
got  over  it  very  quickly.  I  was  very  glad  indeed 
to  be  satisfied  that  Cornwood  had  no  knowledge 
of  my  imprisonment  in  the  attic,  as  I  supposed  he 
had  when  I  entered  the  saloon.  I  had  employed 
him,  and  was  then  paying  him  five  dollars  a  day 
for  doing  nothing.  I  did  not  wish  to  believe  that 
he  was  a  friend  of  my  ancient  enemy. 

"  Captain  Boomsby,  I  had  to  break  a  hole 
through  the  door  of  the  room  in  which  you 
locked  me,  in  order  to  get  out,"  I  said,  as  soon 
as  I  had  an  opportunity  to  get  in  a  word. 

"Then  you  must  pay  for  it,  for  the  landlord 
will  charge  it  to  me,"  said  he,  promptly. 

"  I  think  not ;  and  if  it  were  not  for  the  time  it 
would  take,  I  would  complain  of  you  at  the  police 
office.  I  don't  know  what  kind  of  a  snake  it  was 
you  put  into  the  closet  for  my  benefit ;  but  I 
think  you  will  find  him  running  about  your  house 
by  this  time,"  I  replied.  "I  gave  Mrs.  Boomsby 
warning  of  the  danger,  and  she  has  locked  her 
self  into  her  room." 

"What   snake,   Sandy  Duddleton?    What  you 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  Ill 

talking  about  ? "  demanded  the  captain.  But  I 
could  see  that  he  was  not  a  little  disturbed  by 
the  information. 

"  You  put  a  poisonous  snake  into  the  closet 
of  that  room  where  you  locked  me  in.  You  ex 
pected  me  to  open  the  door  of  the  closet,  and  let 
him  out.  I  did  open  the  closet-door  and  let  him 
out ;  but  I  did  not  give  him  a  chance  to  bite  me," 
I  continued,  rehearsing  the  facts  for  the  benefit  of 
Cornwood  rather  than  my  tyrant. 

"  What  on  airth  are  you  talking  about,  Sandy  ? 
I  don't  know  nothin'  about  no  snake,"  protested 
Captain  Boomsby. 

"  I  think  you  know  all  about  the  snake,  and 
that  you  put  him  there  for  my  benefit.  I  have 
nothing  further  to  say  about  the  matter,  except 
that  the  creature  is  still  in  your  house,  and  that 
he  will  bite  one  of  your  children  as  readily  as  he 
would  me.  I  advise  you  to  attend  to  the  matter, 
and  have  him  killed,"  I  continued,  moving  toward 
the  door. 

"  Stop  a  minute,  Sandy,"  called  my  persecutor. 
"  What  sort  of  a  snake  was  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know ;  I  never  saw  one  like  it  before." 

"I  guess  I  know  sunthin'  about  it,  arter  all," 
said  Captain  Boomsby,  with  a  troubled  look. 


112  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

"  I  had  a  lodger  in  the  house,  and  he  had  an  attic 
room.  He  had  a  lot  of  young  alligators,  rattle 
snakes,  lizards,  and  other  critters ;  and  I  let  him 
put  'em  in  that  room.  He  screwed  the  boards  over 
the  winder  so  they  couldn't  git  out.  I  cal'late  this 
was  one  of  his  snakes." 

I  had  no  doubt  this  story  was  all  an  invention, 
but  I  had  no  means  of  showing  to  the  contrary. 
He  begged  me  to  go  up-stairs,  and  help  him  kill 
the  "varmint;"  but  I  declined  to  do  this,  for  I 
was  not  willing  again  to  make  myself  the  vic 
tim  of  his  treachery.  The  captain  called  his  son 
Nicholas  from  the  front  shop,  which  was  a  cigar 
store,  and  told  him  to  look  out  for  the  bar. 

Before  he  could  go  up-stairs  two  black  police 
men  entered  the  saloon,  armed  with  sticks.  Mrs. 
Boomsby  had  told  them  what  the  matter  was,  and 
they  had  come  in  to  kill  the  reptile.  I  left  the 
premises,  followed  by  Cornwood. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      113 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    HON.    PARDON    TIFFANY'S    WARNING. 

I  LEARNED  the  next  day,  from  one  of  the 
negro  policemen  who  had  been  called  in,  that 
the  snake  had  got  out  of  the  room  where  I  left 
him,  and  that  he  had  been  found  on  the  stair-rail, 
a  floor  below  where  I  had  confronted  him.  My 
informant  told  me  he  had  killed  him  as  he  was 
crawling  along  the  rail,  on  his  way  down  another 
flight. 

"  He  was  only  try  in'  to  git  away,  sah,"  added  the 
policeman.  "  Dey  allus  run  away  when  dey  can, 
dem  moccasins  do ;  but  dey  spring  at  folks,  and 
bite  when  dey  git  cornered.  Awful  bad  snake, 
sah.  Wuss'n  a  rattlesnake.  Bite  kill  a  man,  suah." 

When  I  left  the  saloon,  I  walked  with  Cornwood 
to  the  post-office.  When  we  were  in  the  street, 
he  volunteered  the  opinion  that  Captain  Boomsby 
was  the  greatest  scoundrel  in  Jacksonville ;  and 
without  going  into  the  comparative  merits  of  the 
question,  I  was  not  disposed  to  dispute  the  point. 
8 


114  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

Cornwood  seemed  to  feel  relieved  after  he  had  ex 
pressed  this  opinion,  and  the  subject  was  dropped. 

I  had  told  a  colored  clerk  in  the  post-office  to 
keep  all  letters  for  me  until  my  return,  for  when 
we  left  Jacksonville  I  could  not  tell  where  we  were 
going,  and  I  expected  to  be  back  a  month  sooner. 
He  greeted  me  very  politely  when  I  presented  my 
self  at  the  window,  and  handed  me  a  large  package 
of  letters,  secured  with  a  rubber  band.  I  thanked 
him  for  his  kindness  ;  and  I  must  add  that  this  one 
and  another  colored  clerk  I  saw  in  Charleston,  were 
more  polite  and  gentlemanly  than  many  a  white 
clerk  I  have  encountered  in  more  northern  cities. 

Though  I  had  received  no  letters  for  over  two 
months,  I  had  not  failed  to  write  them  regularly  to 
Mr.  Brickland,  and  to  my  father  since  I  had  been 
assured  that  he  was  still  living.  I  looked  over  the 
package  that  had  been  handed  to  me.  There  were 
two  from  my  father.  My  heart  thrilled  with  emo 
tion  when  I  recognized  the  handwriting.  I  thought 
no  more  of  Captain  Boomsby  and  his  snake. 

"  Will  there  be  anything  I  can  do  for  you  to-day 
or  to-night,  Captain  Garningham?"  asked  Corn- 
wrood,  as  I  stood  looking  at  the  outside  of  my 
letters. 

"Nothing,"  I  replied. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  115 

"  Then  I  think  I  will  sleep  on  shore,  if  you  have 
no  objection,"  he  added. 

"  None  whatever,"  I  answered ;  and  with  the 
bundle  of  letters  in  my  hand,  I  was  glad  to  get  rid 
of  him,  for  he  was  rather  officious,  and  often  inter 
rupted  me  in  my  state-room  when  there  was  not 
the  least  need  of  it. 

Cornwood  raised  his  Panama  hat,  bowed  politely 
to  me,  and  then  hastened  out  of  the  building.  He 
had  hardly  disappeared  before  the  Hon.  Mr.  Tiffany 
came  into  the  office.  He  dropped  some  letters 
into  the  box,  and  then  approached  me  with  a  smil 
ing  face.  All  I  had  seen  of  this  gentleman  pleased 
me  very  much.  My  father  called  him  his  best 
friend  in  the  letter  of  introduction  brought  to  me. 
For  this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  I  should  have  re 
spected  and  esteemed  him ;  but  I  was  not  glad  to 
see  him  at  this  moment.  I  wanted  to  be  alone 
with  my  letters. 

"  Good  evening,  Captain  Alick,"  said  he.  "  I 
see  you  have  a  large  packet  of  letters,  and  I  won't 
interrupt  you  but  for  a  moment.  Are  you  going 
on  board  of  the  steamer  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  thought  I  would  go  on  board  and 
read  my  letters.  Two  of  them  are  from  my  father 
—  the  first  I  have  received  from  him  for  many 


116  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

months,"  I  replied,  wishing  to  have  him  under 
stand  my  situation  fully. 

"  I  will  not  keep  you  from  them  a  moment,"  he 
added,  considerately.  "But  I  suppose  you  will 
not  attempt  to  read  them  till  you  go  on  board  ?  " 

"No,  sir,"  I  answered,  putting  the  two  letters 
from  my  father  into  my  breast-pocket,  with  my 
most  valuable  papers,  and  dropping  the  others  into 
a  side-pocket.  "I  can't  read  them  very  well  in 
the  street." 

"  Then  I  will  walk  with  you  to  your  boat,"  con 
tinued  Mr.  Tiffany. 

"  I  shall  go  to  the  wharf  on  which  the  market  is 
located,  and  hail  the-  steamer.  I  have  found  that 
is  the  best  place  to  land." 

We  left  the  office,  and  walked  up  the  street. 
My  companion  evidently  had  something  to  say  to 
me,  and  had  possibly  started  to  go  on  board  for 
the  purpose  of  seeing  me.  I  did  not  feel  much 
interest  in  anything  he  might  have  to  say  under 
the  circumstances. 

"Just  before  I  joined  you  in  the  post-office,  I 
saw  you  with  Mr.  Cornwood.  Pray  don't  think  I 
wish  to  meddle  impertinently  with  your  affairs, 
Captain  Alick,"  said  Mr.  Tiffany ;  and  he  seemed 
to  be  somewhat  embarrassed  about  saying  what  he 
wished  to  say. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  117 

"By  no  means,  sir,"  I  replied,  beginning  to  feel 
an  interest  in  the  conversation  ;  but  rather  on  ac 
count  of  the  manner  than  the  matter  of  what  he 
said. 

"  Then  if  you  won't  take  offence,  I  wish  to  say 
that  I  desire  to  warn  you  iir  regard  to  this  man 
Corn  wood,"  continued  the  friend  of  my  father. 

"  You  desire  to  warn  me  in  regard  to  Mr.  Corn- 
wood  ! "  I  exclaimed,  stopping  short  on  the  side 
walk,  so  great  was  my  surprise  at  his  words,  as 
well  as  his  manner. 

"  I  beg  you  will  not  take  any  offence  at  what  I 
say,  Captain  Alick,  for  I  assure  you  I  have  nothing 
but  the  best  of  motives  towards  you,"  protested 
Mr.  Tiffany,  as  we  resumed  our  walk. 

"  I  shall  not  take  offence  at  anything  you  say, 
sir,"  I  answered. 

"After  the  very  great  service  you  have  rendered 
me,  you  must  think  I  am  inhuman  to  be  ungrateful 
to  you  so  soon,"  continued  Mr.  Tiffany.  "  I  assure 
you  there  is  nothing  like  ingratitude  in  my  heart ; 
and  I  would  wrong  myself  a  thousand  times  before 
I  would  wrong  you  once." 

"  I  believe  every  word  you  say,  sir :  and  it  has 
not  even  occurred  to  me  to  suspect  your  motives," 
I  replied  with  energy.  "  The  letter  you  brought 


118  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

me  from  my  father  would  cause  me  to  put  entire 
confidence  in  you  ;  but  without  that,  I  should  not 
for  an  instant  suspect  you  of  anything  unworthy 
towards  me,  or  anybody  else.  When  you  warned 
me  against  Mr.  Corn  wood,  I  was  surprised  on  ac 
count  of  something  which  occurred  this  afternoon." 

"I  shall  not  even  ask  you  what  occurred  this 
afternoon  ;  and  you  may  keep  your  own  counsel  in 
regard  to  Mr.  Cornwood.  I  repeat  that  I  have 
not  the  least  desire  to  meddle  with  your  affairs." 

"As  the  best  friend  of  my  father,  I  am  sure  I 
should  value  your  advice  and  counsel  very  highly." 

"  I  do  not  often  counsel  or  advise  anybody  out 
of  my  own  family,  unless  I  am  asked  to  do  so. 
Here  is  the  market  wharf;  and  I  have  said  all  I 
have  to  say  in  regard  to  Mr.  Cornwood.  I  only 
desire  to  warn  you  to  keep  your  eyes  wide  open  in 
dealing  with  him,  for  I  learned  from  Owen  that  you 
have  engaged  the  Florida  person  for  your  journey 
up  the  river." 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  him,  Mr.  Tif- 
any  ?  "  I  asked,  as  much  surprised  to  hear  that  he 
had  nothing  more  to  say  as  I  had  been,  in  the  first 
place,  to  learn  that  he  had  anything  to  say  in  regard 
to  the  guide. 

"  I  can't  say  that  I  do,"  he  replied,  with  a  rather 
vacant  look. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  119 

"  Why  do  you  warn  me  against  him,  then?" 

"That  is  certainly  a  very  pertinent  question, 
Captain  Alick.  I  have  no  right  to  say  anything 
against  this  person,  for  I  know  nothing  against 
him.  While  I  will  not  harm  him,  I  warn  you  to 
look  out  for  him." 

"  I  suppose  you  must  have  some  reason  for  what 
you  say,"  I  added,  as  I  waved  my  handkerchief  in 
the  direction  of  the  Sylvania,  as  a  signal  for  a  boat. 

"Undoubtedly  1  have  some  reason  for  what  I 
say.  It  may  be  enough  to  cause  me  to  suspect 
him.  I  haje  only  asked  you  to  look  out  for  him, 
for  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  utter  a  word  to  his 
disparagement  until  I  know  it  is  true." 

Mr.  Tiffany  seemed  to  be  very  earnest  hi  what 
he  said  ;  but  I  was  disappointed  because  he  did  not 
say  more.  He  had  been  in  Jacksonville  a  week 
before  he  went  to  St.  Augustine  ;  and  it  was  pos 
sible  that  he  had  seen  something  of  the  guide 
during  his  stay. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  not  quite  satisfied  with  what 
I  have  said.  I  cannot  blame  you  for  feeling  so  ; 
but  I  should  blame  myself  if  I  said  anything  more 
about  this  man,"  continued  my  father's  friend.  "I 
make  no  charge  against  Cornwood ;  I  only  say,  as 
I  might  if  we  were  facing  a  strange  snake,  he  may 


120  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

do  us  harm,  and  we  must  look  out  for  ourselves. 
Really,  that  is  all  I  can  say  about  the  matter." 

By  this  time  the  port  boat  had  come  up  to  the 
wharf.  Mr.  Tiffany  bade  me  good  night,  and  has 
tened  up  the  pier.  I  was  not  satisfied,  as  he  had 
suggested.  He  suspected  Cornwood  of  something, 
but  he  did  not  even  say  what,  much  less  give  me 
the  grounds  for  his  suspicion.  But  I  could  obtain 
no  more,  and  went  into  the  boat.  In  a  few  minutes 
I  was  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer.  My  supper  was 
all  ready,  and  I  was  obliged  to  attend  to  it  before 
I  looked  at  my  letters. 

My  state-room  was  lighted,  and  I  was"by  myself. 
At  last  I  was  alone  with  my  letters.  Washburn 
was  on  the  forward  deck,  discussing  the  condition 
of  the  South  with  Griffin  Leeds.  I  took  out  the 
two  letters  from  my  father.  Both  of  them  were 
mailed  in  London,  though  my  father's  home  was  in 
Shalford,  Essex,  about  fifty  miles  from  the  great 
city.  One-  was  postmarked  December  15th,  and 
the  other  January  2d.  I  opened  the  one  of  the 
earliest  date. 

It  was  written  immediately  after  his  return  to 
England  from  India.  He  had  received  no  letters 
or  intelligence  of  any  kind  from  me  for  many 
months.  He  had  been  so  worried  about  me  that 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      121 

he  could  hardly  stay  to  complete  his  business  in 
India.  He  found  nothing  from  me  on  his  arrival 
at  his  home,  nothing  at  the  office  of  his  solicitor, 
to  whom  all  my  letters  had  been  forwarded,  in 
London.  He  wrote  that  he  found  Mr.  Carrington 
had  gone  to  America,  and  his  office  was  in  charge 
of  his  confidential  clerk. 

I  understood  it  all.  This  clerk  must  have  de 
stroyed  all  my  letters  to  my  father  as  soon  as  they 
reached  the  office,  as  he  had  been  instructed  to  do 
by  his  employer.  I  felt  sick  at  heart  when  I  real 
ized  the  distress  of  my  father  at  getting  no  tidings 
from  me.  But  since  I  sailed  on  this  cruise  from 
Detroit,  six  months  before,  I  had  supposed  he  was 
dead,  and  of  course  I  wrote  no  letters  to  him. 

I  took  up  the  second  letter,  expecting  to  read 
more  of  my  father's  despair  on  account  of  my  long 
silence.  I  opened  it :  it  was  bright  and  cheerful 
as  the  first  was  gloomy  and  despondent.  He  had 
received  my  "welcome  letter  of  December  4th," 
which  I  had  written  at  Jacksonville,  after  the  dis 
covery  of  all  the  details  of  the  conspiracy  against 
me.  I  had  written  a  full  account  of  the  matter, 
with  the  history  of  the  voyage  up  to  that  date.  It 
was  after  Colonel  Shepard's  house  had  been  dam 
aged  by  fire,  and  the  West  India  trip  had  been 


122  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

arranged.  I  had  asked  him  to  write  me  at  Jack 
sonville,  but  not  to  be  alarmed  if  he  did  not  hear 
from  me  for  some  time,  for  I  hardly  knew  where 
we  were  going.  He  had  been  amazed  at  the  con 
tents  of  my  letter.  The  clerk  had  confessed  all  to 
him.  I  was  entirely  satisfied  with  the  conclusion 
of  the  matter.  The  rest  of  the  letters  were  from 
my  friends  at  the  North. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      123 


CHAPTER 

SUGGESTIONS    OF    ANOTHER    CONSPIRACY. 

I  FELT  like  a  beleaguered  general  who  had  just 
opened  communication  with  his  reinforcements, 
when  I  again  found  myself  holding  intercourse, 
even  by  letter,  with  my  father.  It  seemed  as 
though  a  new  life  had  begun  for  me.  My  father 
was  happy,  and  so  was  I.  He  declared  that  he 
should  join  me  as  soon  as  his  business  would  allow 
him  to  leave  England  ;  and  that  when  he  found  me, 
as  he  should  wherever  I  wandered,  he  never  would 
leave  me  again. 

My  father  alluded  at  considerable  length  to  "  his 
best  and  truest  friend,"  Mr.  Tiffany.  He  had 
written  to  him,  and  desired  him  to  take  an  interest 
in  my  affairs  if  he  thought  I  needed  any  assistance, 
either  with  money  or  counsel.  This  was  a  partial 
explanation  of  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Tiffany  ;  but  he 
was  a  very  strange  man  because  he  said  nothing  to 
me  about  his  instructions  from  my  father. 

Before  I  had  finished  reading  the  rest  of  my 


124  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

letters,  Washburn  came  into  the  room  ;  but  when 
he  saw  I  was  engaged,  he  began  to  retire.  I  asked 
him  to  remain.  He  was  my  ever-faithful  friend. 
He  had  fathomed  the  conspiracy  against  me,  and  I 
valued  his  counsel  more  than  that  of  any  other 
person.  He  had  my  fullest  confidence,  though  he 
never  sought  to  know  my  business. 

I  related  to  him  all  the  incidents  of  my  visit  to 
the  city,  including  a  full  account  of  my  adventures 
with  the  Boomsbys  and  the  other  snake.  I  need 
not  say  that  he  was  intensely  interested. 

"  That  Boomsby  ought  to  be  hung ! "  he  ex 
claimed,  as  soon  as  I  had  finished  my  story. 

"Perhaps  not,"  I  replied,  giving  the  captain's 
explanation  of  the  presence  of  the  snake  in  the 
closet. 

"  I  should  like  to  follow  that  lodger's  history,  if 
Captain  Boomsby  had  any  such  person  in  his  house, 
which  I  do  not  believe,"  added  the  mate.  ff  When 
I  go  on  shore  I  will  try  to  find  out  whether  or  not 
he  had  any  lodger,  and  I  think  I  can  get  at  it." 

"  It  is  hardly  worth  the  trouble,"  I  replied. 

"  I  think  it  is.  For  months  we  have  been  satis 
fied  that  this  villain  means  you  harm  ;  but  we  have 
never  been  able  to  prove  anything,"  said  Washburn, 
with  energy.  "  It  is  time  to  quit  fooling  with  such 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  125 

matters.  If  he  did  not  mean  to  sink  the  Sylvania 
for  your  benefit,  he  never  meant  anything  in  his 
life  ;  but  he  explained  it  away,  and  everybody  that 
knows  anything  about  it,  except  you  and  I,  be 
lieves  that  the  accident  was  simply  the  result  of 
his  drunken  condition  on  that  morning.  It  is  time 
to  prove  some  of  these  things." 

"  I  have  no  objection  to  having  them  proved." 

"  I  will  spend  all  the  time  I  have  on  shore  in 
this  business  ;  and  I  am  —  What  was  that  ?  " 

The  mate  suddenly  jumped  from  his  chair,  and 
rushed  out  of  the  room  by  the  new  door  on  the 
port  side.  I  followed  him. 

"What  are  you  doing  at  that  window? "'de 
manded  Washburn,  to  a  man  he  had  collared  near 
the  door  of  the  engine-room,  for  he  had  pluck 
enough  to"  pick  up  a  water  moccasin,  if  the  occa 
sion  required. 

I  could  not  make  out  the  man  in  the  darkness  ; 
and  I  did  not  quite  comprehend  the  reason  for  his 
sudden  assault  on  him.  All  the  windows  of  our 
state-room  were  open,  for  the  evening  was  warm. 

"I  wasn't  doing  anything,  Mr.  Washburn," 
pleaded  the  culprit,  in  whose  voice  I  recognized 
that  of  Griffin  Leeds. 

"  You  were  standing  under  the  open  window  of 


126  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

the  captain's  room  !  "  continued  the  mate,  releasing 
his  hold  on  the  waiter  when  he  found  he  offered  no 
resistance. 

"No,  sir;  I  wasn't  standing  there,"  replied 
Griffin,  in  a  meeching  tone.  "  I  got  asleep  on  the 
fo'castle  after  you  went  in  ;  and  I  just  waked  up. 
I  was  just  going  below  to  turn  in  when  you  came 
out  and  got  hold  of  me.  That's  the  whole  of  it, 
sir." 

"If  I  ever  catch  you  under  an  open  window 
again,  I  will  throw  you  overboard.  We  don't  have 
anything  of  that  kind  on  board  of  this  steamer," 
said  the  mate,  in  a  very  decided  tone. 

Griffin  went  below  to  his  quarters  under  the  fore 
castle,  and  Washburn  followed  me  into  the  room. 
I  thought  he  was  a  little  rough  on  the  new  waiter, 
who  had  given  excellent  satisfaction  in  the  forward 
cabin.  I  said  as  much  as  this  to  the  mate. 

"  The  rascal  was  listening  under  that  window  to 
the  talk  between  you  and  me,"  replied  TTashburn. 
"  If  you  agree  to  have  that  thing  done  on  board, 
you  are  the  captain,  and  I  have  nothing  more  to 
say  about  it." 

"  If  you  are  satisfied  that  he  was  listening  to  us, 
you  did  just  right.  But  I  move  to  amend  by  sub 
stituting  his  discharge  for  throwing  him  overboard," 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  127 

I  replied,  laughing.  "Do  you  think  the  fellow 
heard  what  we  were  saying  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it :  he  had  been  there  for 
some  time,  for  I  heard  a  slight  noise  at  that  window 
soon  after  I  came  in  j  and  I  am  confident  he  had 
been  there  ever  since.  I  confess  that  I  do  not 
like  the  fellow  very  much,  for  I  have  seen  him 
skulking  about  the  deck  with  a  hang-dog  look 
which  I  don't  admire.  I  have  suspected  him  of 
something,  though  I  don't  know  what,  since  the 
first  day  he  came  on  board.  While  I  am  in  for  it, 
Alick,  I  might  as  well  add  that  Cornwood  is  just 
such  another  fellow." 

"  Cornwood?  "  I  asked,  very  much  surprised,  for 
I  had  not  noticed  anything  in  either  the  Floridian 
or  the  waiter  to  attract  my  attention. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  Cornwood ;  and 
I  suppose  you  looked  up  his  record  before  you  en 
gaged  him.  At  any  rate,  he  acts  like  a  snake,  in 
my  way  of  thinking,"  added  the  mate,  whom  none 
could  accuse  of  covering  up  anything  he  believed 
or  thought. 

"  I  did  inquire  about  him  in  St.  Augustine : 
people  thought  well  of  his  knowledge  and  ability, 
though  they  agree  that  he  is  a  brag  and  a  boaster." 

"  If  there  were  nothing  worse  than  that  about 


128  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

him,  I  should  only  laugh.  But  I  think  he  is  a 
snake." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  ;  I  only  know  that  I  do  think  so." 

"  But  you  are  not  a  fellow  to  think  ill  of  anybody 
without  some  reason  for  it." 

"  I  have  no  reason,  except  his  looks  and  actions," 
replied  the  mate.  "  I  make  no  charges  against 
him,  and  I  can  prove  nothing ;  but  Corn  wood  is  a 
fellow  that  will  bear  watching." 

"  That  is  just  what  the  Hon.  Pardon  Tiffany  took 
the  trouble  to  tell  me  this  afternoon,"  I  added, 
relating  the  particulars  of  my  interview  with  that 
gentleman. 

"I  am  glad  there  is  some  one  besides  myself 
who  has  an  opinion  on  the  subject,"  said  Washburn. 

"  Cornwood  was  in  Captain  Boomsby's  rumhole 
when  I  came  down  stairs  after  the  row  in  the  attic," 
I  added,  watching  the  face  of  my  friend  to  notice 
the  effect  of  this  announcement. 

"  That's  the  best  place  for  him ;  only  this  fellow 
will  do  a  piece  of  treachery  better  than  Boomsby 
can.  Cornwood  will  not  get  drunk  when  he  has  a 
heavy  job  of  iniquity  on  his  hands.  Boomsby  is  a 
wolf:  this  fellow  is  a  snake.  Cornwood  reminds 
me  of  a  kind  of  reptile  they  have  in  these  parts, 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  129 

called  the  small  rattlesnake.  He  is  a  little  fellow, 
and  you  can't  hear  his  rattle  ;  but  his  bite  will  kill 
you  as  quick  as  that  of  a  five-footer.  You  can't 
see  or  hear  him,  and  the  first  thing  you  know  you 
are  a  dead  man.  That's  Cornwood's  style,  as  I 
understand  him." 

"  You  are  rough  on  him.  What  you  say  of  him, 
and  what  you  have  done  to  Griffin,  remind  me  that 
the  two  men  seemed  to  have  some  connection  before 
we  engaged  either  of  them,"  I  continued,  thinking 
of  the  events  of  that  first  day  in  St.  Augustine. 
"  Griffin  brought  off  Corn  wood  in  a  boat." 

"And  when  you  apply  to  Corn  wood  for  a  stew 
ardess,  Griffin's  wife  appears  to  take  the  place. 
But  I  am  bound  to  say  I  believe  she  is  a  lady," 
added  the  mate. 

"  Then  you  think  we  are  marching  into  hot  water, 
do  you,  Washburn?"  I  asked  with  interest. 

"  I  don't  say  you  are  :  I  don't  know  that  you 
are :  only  that  we  had  better  keep  our  eyes  wide 
open,  as  Mr.  Tiffany  suggests.  But  it  does  look 
to  me  as  though  some  sort  of  a  storm  is  brewing." 

"  But  where  can  the  storm  possibly  come  from  ?  " 

"From  that  rumhole  in  Bay  Street  which  you 
visited  this  afternoon.  I  have  heard  that  Boomsby 
threatened  a  dozen  times  to  be  the  destruction  of 
9 


130  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

you.  He  says  you  have  been  the  plague  of  his 
life ;  that  you  have  crossed  and  defeated  him  so 
many  times  that  he  will  be  the  '  ruination '  of  you 
yet.  This  is  out  of  pure  revenge.  Besides  this, 
he  believes  your  father  is  dead,  and  that,  if  he  can 
get  you  out  of  the  way,  or  bring  you  into  subjec 
tion  to  what  he  calls  his  authority,  this  steamer  will 
come  into  his  possession.  I  know  he  is  a  fool ; 
but  he  believes  all  this  nonsense." 

'?  Then  you  mean  to  suggest — without  being  able 
to  prove  it — that  Cornwood  is  an  agent  of  Captain 
Boomsby ;  and  that  Griffin  Leeds  is  a  tool  of 
Cornwood,  sent  on  board  to  watch  me,  as  well  as 
to  wait  on  the  fore-cabin  table,"  I  added,  putting 
the  various  hints  into  words. 

"  I  don't  say  it  means  anything ;  but  that  is  what 
it  means,  if  anything,"  replied  Washburn  after  some 
hesitation.  "  Nothing  can  be  proved ;  and  we 
should  not  be  justified  in  doing  anything  on  mere 
suspicion.  All  we  have  to  do  is  to  keep  a  close 
watch  on  Cornwood  and  Griffin  Leeds." 

We  agreed  to  do  this,  but  in  such  a  manner  as 
not  to  alarm  the  conspirators,  if  they  were  such. 
I  told  Washburn  then  that  I  had  letters  from  my 
father,  and  gave  him  both  of  them  to  read.  While 
he  was  thus  engaged,  I  began  a  letter  to  my  father. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  131 

"  The  last  one  is  written  in  good  spirits,"  said 
the  mate,  as  he  laid  the  letters  on  my  table.  ff  But 
isn't  it  a  little  strange  that  you  have  no  letter  of 
later  date  than  last  January  from  your  father  ?  I 
should  have  supposed  there  would  have  been  three 
or  four  more  letters  awaiting  you ;  I  mean  those 
he  must  have  written  in  January." 

"  I  think  there  is  nothing  strange  about  that,"  I 
replied ;  but  my  heart  sank  within  me  at  the  very 
thought  of  any  more  doubts  and  uncertainties.  "  I 
wrote  him  that  the  Sylvania  was  bound  to  the 
Bahamas ;  but  I  had  no  idea  where  we  should  go 
next,  or  how  long  we  should  remain  at  any  place 
to  which  we  might  go.  I  said  we  expected  to 
return  to  Jacksonville  in  February." 

"  That  explains  the  matter.  You  did  not  show 
me  your  letter  to  him,"  replied  the  mate.  "  But 
we  are  several  days  into  March,  and  you  ought  to 
hear  from  your  father  again  very  soon." 

"  I  shall  expect  a  letter  from  him  every  day  until 
I  get"  one.  I  don't  believe  anything  more  can 
happen  to  him  or  me,  for  we  have  had  our  full 
share  of  mishaps." 

The  mate  was  turning  in  for  the  night,  when 
Buck  Lingley  brought  me  a  note  from  Owen, 
which  had  just  been  sent  off  by  a  boatman.  My 


132  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

cousin  had  arranged  for  an  excursion  to  Fort  George 
Island,  near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Johns  Eiver, 
for  the  next  day  at  ten,  if  the  weather  was  favor 
able.  He  expected  about  thirty  people,  and  wanted 
dinner  for  them.  I  told  Buck  to  carry  the  letter 
to  the  steward,  that  he  might  make  his  purchases 
of  provisions  early  in  the  morning.  It  was  one 
o'clock  when  I  turned  in,  after  finishing  a  twelve- 
page  letter  to  my  father. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      133 


CHAPTER  XHI. 

MR.  COBBINGTON  AND  HIS  PET  RATTLESNAKE. 

I  TURNED  out  the  next  morning,  or  rather  the 
same  morning,  only  in  season  for  breakfast.  I 
had  put  my  letter  in  the  mail-box,  and  it  had  gone 
ashore  in  the  first  boat  at  four  o'clock.  I  kept  an 
anchor  watch  all  night  in  port,  which  was  divided 
up  amongst  all  hands  in  the  sailing  and  engineer's 
department,  except  myself.  Word  had  been  passed 
from  watch  to  watch  to  call  the  steward  and  a  boat's 
crew  at  half  past  three.  The  boats  were  hoisted 
up  to  the  davits  at  night,  and  it  required  some 
time  to  get  one  into  the  water. 

When  I  went  in  to  breakfast,  I  found  that 
Washburn  had  gone  ashore  in  the  steward's  boat, 
and  had  not  yet  returned.  He  was  the  only  person 
on  board,  besides  myself,  who  had  liberty  to  leave 
the  vessel  without  my  permission,  or  his,  if  I  was 
not  on  board.  But  the  steamer  had  been  put  in 
perfect  order  the  day  before,  and  she  never  was  in 


134  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

better  condition  than  when  I  looked  her  over  after 
breakfast.  The  day  was  bright  and  clear,  as  nearly 
all  the  days  were  in  Florida.  Every  officer  and 
seaman  had  put  on  his  best  uniform,  and  we  were 
in  "  show  "  order,  above  and  below  decks. 

The  American  flag  was  flying  at  the  peak,  and, 
in  honor  of  the  English  guests  who  were  to  come 
on  board,  I  had  hoisted  the  British  flag  at  the  fore. 
Both  boats'  crews  were  in  readiness  to  bring  off 
the  party  as  soon  as  they  appeared  on  the  Market 
"Wharf.  About  nine  o'clock  we  got  a  signal  from 
that  locality,  but  there  was  no  party  there,  and 
the  signal  came  from  the  mate. 

"  You  went  off  early,  Washbura,"  I  said,  as  he 
came  up  the  gangway  steps. 

"  I  was  afraid  the  matter  would  get  cold  if  I 
waited,"  replied  the  mate,  who  seemed  to  be  in 
excellent  humor. 

"  What  matter  is  that  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  went  ashore  to  look  up  that  snaky  lodger  of 
Captain  Boomsby's,"  answered  Washburn.  "  There 
was  certainly  a  lodger  there,  who  furnished  his  own 
room,  and  stayed  about  two  weeks." 

"  Did  he  furnish  his  room  for  a  stay  of  only  two 
weeks  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  the  person  yet. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  135 

He  had  his  furniture  carried  to  an  auction-room, 
where  it  was  sold." 

"  How  did  you  learn  all  this  ?  " 

"I  found  Boomsby's  saloon  first.  About  five 
o'clock  the  porter  of  the  store  next  to  it  began  to 
sweep  off  the  sidewalk.  I  saw  that  my  uniform 
took  his  eye,  and  he  was  as  polite  to  me  as  though 
I  had  been  an  admiral  in  the  United  States  Navy. 
I  talked  with  him  awhile,  asking  him  questions 
about  the  city.  Finally  I  brought  the  matter  of 
the  conversation  down  to  the  subject  of  saloons. 
I  thought  there  were  plenty  of  them.  He  told  me 
some  of  them  had  a  separate  bar  for  colored  people, 
where  they  sold  the  cheapest  corn  whiskey  and 
apple  brandy  for  ten  cents  a  glass,  and  made  nine 
cents  on  every  glass  they  sold." 

"  That's  just  the  business  for  Captain  Boomsby  : 
it  is  just  mean  enough  for  him,"  I  added. 

"  The  porter  spoke  of  the  Boomsby  saloon  as  a 
new  one  opened  a  few  weeks  before.  The  keeper 
had  a  bar  for  colored  customers  in  a  back  room, 
with  an  entrance  from  the  lane  in  the  rear.  When 
he  said  this,  I  began  to  pump  him  in  regard  to 
Boomsby.  I  finally  asked  if  the  captain  took 
boarders  or  lodgers.  He  had  one  ;  but  this  one 
had  had  a  quarrel  with  the  saloonist's  wife,  and  h;id 


136  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OE, 

left.  He  did  not  know  his  name,  or  where  he 
went  to.  He  said  the  cartman  that  stood  at  the 
next  corner  had  carted  off  his  furniture." 

"  Then  you  went  for  the  cartman,"  I  suggested. 

"  I  went  for  him ;  but  I  could  not  find  him  for 
some  time,  and  that  is  what  made  me  so  late," 
continued  Washburn.  "  The  porter  told  me  he 
was  hauling  baggage  from  the  Charleston  steamer, 
which  had  just  got  in,  to  the  Carlton  Hotel.  His 
name  was  Jackman,  and  it  was  on  his  wagon.  I 
found  the  cartman,  but  he  was  so  busy  I  had  no 
chance  to  speak  to  him  until  half  past  eight.  I 
took  my  breakfast  at  the  Carlton,  which  is  kept  by 
Maine  people.  I  introduced  myself  to  one  of  the 
proprietors ;  and  of  course  they  knew  my  father. 
I  told  him  I  had  been  waiting  a  long  time  to  speak 
to  Jackman.  He  immediately  called  him  into  the 
office. 

"  Thus  introduced  to  Jackman,  he  was  willing  to 
tell  me  all  he  knew  on  any  subject.  He  said  he 
had  carried  the  furniture  of  the  lodger  to  an  auction- 
room,  and  his  trunks  and  other  things  to  the  St. 
Johns  House.  The  lodger's  name  was  Cobbington ; 
and  Jackman  thought  he  was  poor." 

"  He  must  have  been,  to  take  a  room  at  Captain 
Boomsby's  house." 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      137 

"  I  asked  Jackman  what  things  besides  the  trunks 
he  had  carried  to  the  St.  Johns  Hotel.  He  replied 
that  Cobbington  had  a  pet  rattlesnake  and  a  box 
of  alligators." 

"All  this  goes  to  confirm  Captain  Booinsby's 
explanation,"  I  added. 

"  I  think  it  has  a  tendency  that  way.  I  asked 
Jackman  if  the  lodger  had  any  other  snakes ;  but 
he  knew  of  no  others,  and  had  seen  none  in  the 
attic  rooms  from  Avhich  he  took  his  load.  I  went 
next  to  the  St.  Johns  House,  which  is  kept  by  a 
lady.  She  gave  me  all  the  information  she  could. 
Mr.  Cobbington's  rattlesnake  had  got  out  of  his 
box,  and  had  been  killed  by  one  of  the  boarders. 
He  was  so  angry  at  the  loss  of  the  reptile  that  he 
left  the  house  at  once.  The  landlady  did  not  know 
where  he  had  gone.  Under  the  circumstances, 
she  had  not  taken  the  pains  to  inquire.  She  did 
not  want  any  gentleman  in  her  house  who  kept  a 
rattlesnake  in  his  chamber  ;  and  I  was  of  just  her 
way  of  thinking.  She  did  not  remember  what 
cartman  had  conveyed  his  baggage  from  the  house. 
If  I  had  had  an  hour  more,  I  think  I  could  have 
found  the  man  ;  for  the  landlady  gave  me  the  day 
on  which  he  left." 

"  I  don't  think  it  will  be  of  much  use  to  follow 


138  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

the  matter  any  further,"  I  suggested.  "  This  story 
makes  it  probable  that  Cobbington  had  other 
snakes." 

"  It  may  make  it  possible,  but  not  probable.  It 
is  only  a  matter  of  fact,  and  I  am  going  to  get  to 
the  bottom  of  it  if  I  can,"  persisted  the  mate. 

"  I  beg  pardon,  Mr.  Washburn,  but  your  break 
fast  is  waiting  for  you,"  said  Griffin  Leeds,  stepping 
up  to  the  mate  at  this  moment. 

I  started  when  I  heard  the  silky  voice  of  the 
octoroon.  I  had  heard  no  step  to  indicate  his  ap 
proach,  and  I  feared  that  he  had  listened  to  some 
thing  one  of  us  had  said. 

"I  have  been  to  breakfast,"  replied  the  mate, 
rather  savagely  for  him ;  and  I  saw  that  he  had 
the  same  fear. 

The  waiter  hastened  back  to  the  forward  cabin, 
where  he  belonged.  Washburn  called  to  Ben 
Bowman,  who  was  standing  at  the  door  of  the 
engine-room,  and  asked  him  how  long  Griffin  had 
stood  behind  us.  The  assistant  engineer  thought 
he  had  been  there  two  or  three  minutes,  at  least, 
waiting  for  a  chance  to  speak  to  pne  of  us.  I  was 
vexed  at  the  circumstance.  If  Cornwood  was  the 
agent  of  Captain  Boomsby,  and  Griffin  Leeds  was 
the  tool  of  the  Floridian,  our  conversation  would 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      139 

all  be  reported  to  the  principal  in  the  conspiracy, 
always  granting  there  was  any  truth  in  our  surmises. 

"  I  suppose  we  shall  get  back  from  this  excursion 
some  time  to-night,"  said  Washburn,  thoughtfully. 

"I  think  we  shall  get  back  before  dark,"  I  replied. 

"  I  don't  say  there  is  anything  in  what  we  Avere 
talking  about  last  night,  but  there  may  be.  If 
there  is  anything  in  it,  Cornwood  will  tell  Boomsby, 
after  we  return,  what  we  have  been  talking  about," 
replied  the  mate. 

"  Griffin  will  find  a  chance  to  tell  Cornwood  that 
you  have  been  looking  up  the  lodger,  and  Corn- 
wood  will  carry  it  to  Boomsby,"  I  repeated. 

"Just  so.  Now,  we  must  fix  things  a  little. 
Don't  let  Cornwood  go  on  shore  to-night." 

"How  can  I  keep  him?  He  is  hardly  like  the 
other  members  of  the  ship's  company." 

"  You  can  need  him  for  some  purpose  or  other," 
suggested  the  mate,  with  a  smile.  "  We  must  fight 
them  with  their  own  weapons." 

"  I  was  thinking  to-day  that  I  wanted  to  lay  out 
the  trip  up  the  river  with  him.  I  bought  a  large 
pocket-map  of  Florida  to-day,  so  that  I  could  do 
it  understandingly,  though  where  we  go  will  depend 
largely  on  the  will  and  pleasure  of  our  passengers. 
1  can  keep  him  for  this  purpose,"  I  said. 


140  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

"  All  right ;  and  I  will  go  ashore  as  soon  as  the 
mudhook  touches  the  sand  on  our  return,"  added 
Washburn.  "  There  are  several  carriages  coming 
down  Market  Wharf." 

Both  boats  were  sent  to  the  wharf,  and  Wash- 
burn  went  off  in  one  of  them  to  superintend  the 
seating  of  the  party  in  them.  All  our  extra  stools 
and  chairs  had  been  arranged  on  the  quarter-deck, 
forecastle,  and  hurricane-deck.  There  were  enough 
of  them  for  twice  the  number  of  persons  expected, 
but  no  one  could  tell  where  the  party  would  choose 
to  sit,  and  there  were  enough  to  accommodate  them 
in  any  one  place  they  might  select.  Gopher  was 
hard  at  work  getting  ready  for  the  dinner,  and 
Ben  was  expected  to  help  him  as  soon  as  the  party 
were  on  board. 

I  stood  at  the  gangway,  ready  to  receive  the 
guests.  Suddenly  a  band  on  the  wharf  struck  up 
a  lively  air,  and  I  found  we  were  not  to  depend 
upon  our  own  people  for  the  music.  The  port 
boat  came  up  first ;  and  our  boatmen  were  so  much 
accustomed  to  this  kind  of  duty,  that  they  put  the 
passengers  on  board  without  delay  or  inconvenience 
to  them.  There  were  six  boat-loads,  including  the 
band  of  twelve  pieces.  The  boats  were  hoisted 
up,  and  the  anchor  weighed  by  our  steam  windlass. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  141 

I  had  been  introduced  to  all  the  excursionists  as 
they  came  on  board,  and  I  had  directed  the  waiters 
to  show  them  to  such  parts  of  the  vessel  as  they 
might  select.  When  I  went  to  the  pilot-house,  I 
found  the  seats  all  occupied  by  Owen  and  certain 
ladies  he  had  invited  there.  As  usual  they  were 
all  the  youngest  and  prettiest  of  the  party.  Corn- 
wood  stood  at  the  wheel,  as  though  he  had  chosen 
the  duty  he  intended  to  perform.  I  had  not  pro 
cured  a  pilot,  for  I  had  been  up  and  down  the  river 
five  times,  and  I  thought  I  knew  enough  about  it 
to  pilot  the  vessel  myself.  But  I  wished  to  test 
Cornwood's  ability,  and  I  told  him  to  go  ahead, 
giving  him  no  further  instructions. 

He  rang  the  bells  correctly,  and  handled  the 
wheel  like  an  old  salt.  I  was  rather  disappointed 
to  find  that  he  understood  his  business  perfectly. 
His  brag  was  not  all  brag.  I  had  become  consid 
erably  prejudiced  against  him  by  all  that  had  been 
said ;  but  I  felt  that  I  could  do  him  justice.  The 
scenery  below  the  city  is  very  pleasant,  to  say  the 
least.  The  orange  groves,  and  the  dwellings,  many 
of  them  occupied  by  people  from  the  North,  either 
as  settlers  or  as  winter  residents,  made  a  pictu 
resque  view  from  the  river.  Cornwood  did  not  seem 
to  be  wholly  occupied  with  the  wheel,  for  he  ex- 


142  DOWN    SOUTH  :     OR, 

plained  the  nature  of  the  country  when  he  found 
that  the  party  in  the  pilot-house  were  willing  to 
listen  to  him.  The  herons',  cranes,  and  many  other 
birds  were  new  to  us. 

"Mayport  On  the  starboard  hand,"  said  the  guide, 
when  we  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the  river.  "  The 

% 

houses  in  that  village  are  mostly  occupied  by  fisher 
men,  who  catch  shad  and  other  fish  in  the  winter 
and  spring,  and  a  good  many  southern  people 
spend  the  summer  here  in  cottages." 

Cornwood  directed  the  head  of  the  steamer 
towards  the  other  shore,  and  soon  brought  her  to 
a  pier  at  Pilot  Town. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      143 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   EXCURSION   TO   FORT   GEORGE    ISLAND. 

T^ORT  GEORGE  ISLAND  is  certainly  a  beau- 
JL  tiful  place  for  a  summer  or  a  winter  residence, 
or  for  both.  It  is  three  and  a  half  miles  long,  not 
including  the  sand-bar  at  the  end,  and  a  mile  wide. 
On  one  side  is  the  ocean,  and  on  the  other  the  Sis 
ters'  Channel,  one  of  the  inside  passages  by  which 
steamers  reach  Savannah  and  Fernandina. 

Owen  told  me  the  party  would  sail  for  Jack 
sonville  at  four  o'clock,  and  dine  as  soon  as  the 
steamer  was  under  way.  All  the  excursionists 
landed,  and  leaving  Washburn  in  charge,  I  went 
with  them.  Cornwood  began  to  discharge  his 
duties  as  guide  as  soon  as  we  were  on  shore  ;  but 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  party  were  familiar 
with  the  island,  and  he  did  not  have  a  large  audi 
ence. 

"  This  shell  road,"  said  he,  as  we  left  the  wharf, 
"  is  the  beginning  of  Edgewood  Avenue,  which  is 
two  miles  and  a  half  long.  At  the  farther  end  of 
it  is  the  hotel." 


144  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

He  continued  his  explanations  to  those  who  de 
sired  to  hear  them  during  the  entire  walk.  I  shall 
not  repeat  them.  I  found  that  he  could  give  the 
name  of  every  tree,  plant,  and  flower  we  saw  on 
the  way.  He  had  a  name  for  every  bird,  bug,  and 
worm ;  and  I  am  ready  to  acknowledge  that  the 
extent,  variety,  and  minuteness  of  his  knowledge 
astonished  me,  partly  because  my  prejudice  led  me 
to  expect  nothing  of  him.  That  those  who  brag 
most  know  least,  did  not  appear  to  prove  true  in 
his  case ;  for  he  did  not  have  to  "  give  it  up  "  on 
any  question  asked  him  by  the  tourists  of  our 
party.  He  related  the  history  of  the  island,  and 
there  was  not  a  single  particular  concerning  it  on 
which  he  was  not  fully  informed. 

After  crossing  the  beach  on  the  shell  road,  we 
came  to  the  forest  of  live-oaks,  magnolias,  pal 
mettos,  bay-trees,  and  others  that  one  never  sees 
in  Maine  or  Michigan.  I  walked  with  Mr.  Tif 
fany,  and  we  agreed  that  this  was  one  of  the  most 
delightful  places  we  had  visited.  Pretty  soon  we 
were  joined  by  Miss  Margie  and  Miss  Edith,  who 
had  become  inseparable  friends  and  companions. 
I  learned  that  the  Tiffanys  had  already  accepted 
the  invitation  of  Owen  and  Colonel  Shepard  to 
join  the  party  for  the  up-river  trip. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  145 

"Are  there  no  snakes  on  this  island,  Captain 
Garningham  ?  "  asked  Miss  Margie,  .soon  after  we 
entered  the  wood. 

"  I  dare  say  there  are ;  but  I  don't  know  any 
thing  about  it,"  I  replied. 

"  Undoubtedly  there  are  snakes  on  the  island," 
interposed  Mr.  Cornwood ;  and  I  saw  that  he 
glanced  at  me,  with  a  smile,  as  if  in  allusion  to 
my  experience  on  the  evening  before. 

"  I  am  very  much  afraid  of  snakes,"  said  Miss 
Margie,  looking  timidly  about  her. 

"But  the  snakes  are  more  afraid  of  you  than 
you  are  of  them,  Miss  Tiffany,"  replied  Corn- 
wood.  "  Even  the  rattlesnake  will  keep  out  of 
your  way,  if  he  can." 

"  And  I  should  surely  keep  out  of  his  way. 
Are  there  rattlesnakes  on  this  island  ?  "  asked  the 
timid  English  maiden. 

w  I  am  sorry  to  say  there  are ;  but  you  might 
live  on  the  island  ten  years  and  never  see  one. 
When  you  walk,  you  will  naturally  keep  in  the 
paths  cut  through  the  woods.  Rattlesnakes  will 
not  visit  these  localities.  But  the  rattlesnake  is 
a  very  gentlemanly  fellow ;  and  if  by  any  chance 
one  should  stray  into  a  path,  he  would  give  you 
abundant  warning  before  he  did  you  any  harm." 
10 


146  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  I  don't  wish  to  see  one,"  replied  Miss  Margie, 
with  a  shudder. 

"  You  may  be  sure  you  will  not  meet  any  in  the 
paths  we  take  to-day,"  added  the  guide  in  a  com 
forting  tone.  "But  I  would  rather  meet  a  dozen 
of  them  than  step  upon  a  copperhead  or  a  water- 
moccasin.  These  will  run  away  when  they  see 
you,  if  they  can.  The  water-moccasin  will  not 
trouble  you  if  you  let  him  alone.  The  only  dan 
ger  from  any  Florida  snake  is  in  coming  upon  him 
when  you  don't  see  him." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  am  afraid  of,"  said  Miss 
Margie. 

"  This  island  has  been  settled  so  long  that  there 
can  be  but  few  snakes  of  the  harmful  kind  left  on  it ; 
for  whites  and  blacks  always  kill  them  at  sight." 

After  a  very  pleasant  walk  we  reached  the  hotel, 
where  a  lunch  was  ready  for  us.  To  me  the  prin 
cipal  feature  of  this  lunch  was  the  broiled  shad, 
the  fish  just  taken  from  the  water.  It  was  the 
freshest  and  best  I  had  ever  eaten.  The  oysters 
in  the  chowder  were  small,  but  had  been  taken 
from  the  water  that  morning. 

After  the  lunch  the  excursionists  broke  up  into 
little  parties,  and  each  went  where  they  were  best 
pleased  to  go.  I  felt  rather  inclined  to  go  where 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      147 

Miss  Margie  went,  for  I  had  found  she  was  as 
agreeable  as  she  was  pretty.  Owen  and  the  Shep- 
ards  went  to  the  Palmetto  Avenue,  which  leads  to 
an  ancient  homestead,  affording  a  fair  specimen  of 
the  planter's  home  in  days  gone  by.  Mr.  Tiffany 
and  his  daughter  wished  to  ascend  Mount  Cor 
nelia,  to  which  there  was  a  carriage-road  all  the 
way  from  the  hotel  to  the  summit.  This  hill  has 
an  elevation  of  ninety-five  feet,  the  highest  point 
on  the  coast  from  Navesink  and  Cuba.  Mr.  Corn- 
wood  accompanied  us,  for,  in  spite  of  the  warning 
Mr.  Tiffany  had  given  me,  he  was  the  guide's  most 
attentive  listener. 

On  the  summit  of  the  hill  we  found  an  observa 
tory,  which  we  occupied  for  a  full  hour.  It  com 
manded  a  fine  view  of  the  ocean,  the  inland  chan 
nels,  and  the  country  beyond  them.  Before  we 
left,  Owen  and  the  Shepards  joined  us. 

"Have  you  seen  any  snakes,  Margie?"  asked 
Edith,  when  they  were  seated  at  the  top  of  the 
observatory. 

"  I  have  not  seen  one ;  indeed,  I  have  not 
thought  of  the  snakes  since  Mr.  Cornwood  assured 
me  we  should  see  none,"  replied  Miss  Margie. 

"  I  rather  like  snakes,  and  I  hoped  I  should  see 
some,"  added  Miss  Edith,  very  bravely. 


148  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

"  I  think  I  could  find  some  for  you,  Miss  Edith," 
interposed  Cornwood. 

"  No,  I  thank  you.  I  don't  care  to  go  snaking. 
When  I  see  one  I  wish  to  have  it  without  any 
effort  on  my  part,"  replied  the  beautiful  girl. 

"That  is  a  nice  way  to  get  out  of  it,"  added 
Miss  Margie.  "I  believe  I  should  faint  away  if  I 
came  upon  one,  without  any  effort  on  my  part." 

"  You  will  be  likely  to  see  some  on  your  trip 
up  the  river,  if  you  go  on  shore.  The  largest 
moccasin  I  ever  saw  I  killed  within  the  limits  of 
the  city  of  Jacksonville.  It  was  on  the  way  to 
Moncrief's  Spring.  Are  you  fond  of  alligators?" 
asked  Mr.  Cornwood,  who  also  seemed  to  regard 
the  English  girl  with  much  favor. 

"I  never  saw  one  in  my  life,"  answered  Miss 
Margie.  "We  don't  have  any  such  creatures  in 
England.  But  I  have  seen  pictures  of  the  croco 
dile,  which  I  dare  say  is  the  same  thing." 

"They  are  certainly  the  same  sort  of  reptile, 
though  a  crocodile  is  not  an  alligator  any  more 
than  an  alligator  is  a  crocodile.  They  differ  in  the 
shape  of  the  head ;  the  lower  canine  teeth  of  the 
crocodile  fit  into  notches  between  the  teeth  of  the 
upper  jaAV,  while  the  alligator's  lower  teeth  fit  into 
cavities  in  the  upper  jaw.  The  alligator  has  a 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  149 

broader  and  shorter  head  than  the  crocodile.  The 
cayman,  found  in  the  East  Indies  and  in  tropical 
South  America,  is  different  in  some  respects  from 
either.  But  we  have  both  crocodiles  and  alligators 
in  the  more  southern  of  the  United  States." 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  care  whether  they  are  croco 
diles  or  alligators ;  they  are  ugly-looking  beasts, 
and  I  don't  want  to  see  any  of  them,"  replied  Miss 
Margie. 

Mr.  Cornwood  had  evidently  "  studied  up "  on 
alligators ;  and  I  was  quite  interested  in  his  com 
parison  of  the  different  reptiles,  for  I  had  sup 
posed  they  were  all  alike. 

"You  can't  very  well  help  seeing  them  when 
you  go  up  the  river,  for  some  of  the  streams  we 
shall  doubtless  explore  are  full  of  them,"  added 
the  Floridian. 

"  Are  you  not  afraid  of  them  ?  " 

"I  don't  think  I  ever  saw  anybody  who  was 
afraid  of  an  alligator';  they  are  too  common  here 
to  alarm  any  person.  But  I  am  surprised  that 
you  did  not  see  any  alligators  in  Jacksonville,  for 
thousands  of  little  ones  are  kep£  for  sale  at  the 
curiosity  stores,  and  larger  ones  are  kept  for  exhi 
bition." 

"I  didn't  happen  to  see  any  of  them.  Are  they 
not  dangerous  ?  " 


150  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

"  We  do  not  consider  them  so.  In  the  earlier 
days  of  the  State,  when  alligators  eighteen  feet 
in  length  were  occasionally  found,  they  may  have 
attacked  men  when  they  caught  them  in  the  water. 
On  land  they  are  rather  sluggish ;  but  they  are 
right  smart  in  the  water.  The  largest  ones  we  are 
likely  to  see  will  not  be  over  twelve  feet  long ; 
and  you  will  find  ten  little  ones  to  one  of  this 
size.  None  of  them  will  meddle  even  with  a 
child ;  though  if  you  should  lie  on  the  edge  of  a 
boat,  with  a  hand  or  foot  in  the  water,  and  went 
to  sleep,  they  might  snap  at  it." 

"  Ugh  !  "  gasped  the  pretty  maiden,  with  a  shud 
der. 

"  You  will  be  so  much  accustomed  to  them  in  a 
week  after  we  start  up  the  river,  that  you  will  not 
mind  them  more  than  you  do  the  flies,  and  not 
half  so  much  as  you  do  the  mosquitoes,"  added 
Mr.  Cornwood. 

"  Are  there  many  mosquitoes  where  we  are 
going,  Mr.  Cornwood?"  asked  Mr.  Tiffany. 

"  Not  many  at  this  season  of  the  year,  though 
we  may  fall  into  localities  where  they  are  very 
plenty.  I  shall  take  the  liberty  to  suggest  to  Cap 
tain  Garningham  to  have  a  quantity  of  mosquito 
netting  on  board,  to  provide  against  these  pests," 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  151 

replied  the  Floridian,  glancing  from  the  English 
man  to  me. 

"  I  will  tell  the  steward  to  see  that  the  beds  and 
berths  are  properly  protected,"  I  added,  glad  to 
have  the  suggestion  in  season  to  save  the  passen 
gers  from  annoyance. 

Owen  and  Miss  Edith  had  not  paid  any  atten 
tion  to  Mr.  Cornwood's  lessons  in  natural  history. 
Both  of  them  had  evidently  voted  the  Floridian  a 
bore.  My  cousin  thought  it  was  time  to  return 
to  the  hotel,  where  the  band  was  playing  for  the 
benefit  of  the  people. 

All  the  party  had  collected  there,  and  we  soon 
started  for  the  steamer.  The  band  went  ahead 
and  played  a  march,  and  we  kept  step  to  the 
music.  I  found  that  Mr.  Cornwood  had  again 
attached  himself  to  Miss  Margie,  to  the  plain 
annoyance  of  that  lady's  father.  I  called  him 
away,  and  dropping  to  the  rear  of  the  procession, 
I  questioned  him  in  regard  to  the  trip  up  the 
river.  He  clearly  understood  my  object  in  asking 
these  questions  at  this  time,  and  his  answers  were 
crusty,  and  his  manner  sulky.  I  persisted  in  tor 
turing  him  till  we  reached  the  steamer,  though  I 
sacrificed  my  own  pleasure  in  doing  it  for  Miss 
Margie's  benefit. 


152  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

It  was  just  four  by  the  clock  in  the  pilot-house 
when  the  Sylvania  sailed  on  her  return.  The  din 
ner  was  served  in  the  cabin,  and  Gopher  had  done 
his  best,  as  usual.  At  six  Corn  wood  made  a  very 
good  landing  at  the  Market  Wharf,  and  our  guests 
departed  immediately.  I  had  to  thank  Washburn 
for  doing  one-half  of  the  hand-shaking  when  they 
stepped  ashore.  Corn  wood  thought  he  would  re 
main  in  the  city,  but  I  told  him  I  wanted  him  on 
board.  The  mate  did  not  go  to  the  anchorage  in 
the  steamer,  but  stayed  ashore. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  153 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A   WAR    OF   WORDS. 

"TTTASHBURN  had  reported  to  me  that,  while 
»  V  I  was  dining  with  the  passengers  in  the 
cabin,  Griffin  Leeds  had  gone  into  the  pilot-house 
and  had  a  short  interview  with  Cornwood.  Of 
course  we  used  the  octoroon  as  a  waiter;  and 
even  Gopher  took  a  hand  at  the  same  occupation, 
for  he  liked  to  hear  what  the  party  said  about  the 
dinner.  Griffin  must  have  taken  the  time  while 
the  waiters  were  clearing  the  tables  for  the  last 
course,  or  while  the  gentlemen  were  amusing 
themselves  with  the  American  custom  of  making 
speeches.  In  either  case,  it  was  almost  a  sin  for 
a  waiter  to  leave  his  post. 

Cornwood  was  sulky  when  I  said  I  wanted  him. 
Doubtless  he  had  business  on  shore,  as  I  had  for 
him  on  board.  I  paid  him  five  dollars  a  day  and 
expenses ;  and  I  thought  I  had  the  best  right  to 
his  services. 

"  Mr.  Cornwood,  I  desire  to  have  you  map  out 


154  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

a  practicable  trip  up  the  river  for  a  steamer  that 
draws  nine  feet  of  water,  with  her  bunkers  full  of 
coal,"  I  began,  as  I  seated  myself  in  my  room. 

The  words  were  hardly  out  of  my  mouth  when 
Hop  Tossford  came  in  with  a  message  written  on 
an  old  envelope,  from  Owen. 

"  Come  to  the  Colonel's  house  at  once. 

OWEN." 

"  At  once  "  meant  immediately ;  and  I  was  not 
a  little  annoyed  by  the  summons,  since  it  pre 
vented  me  from  carrying  out  my  part  of  Wash- 
burn's  little  plan. 

"  I  have  the  cruise  all  mapped  out,  Captain  Gar- 
ningham,"  replied  Cornwood,  while  I  was  reading 
the  message  from  my  cousin. 

He  took  from  his  breast-pocket  a  document, 
which  he  handed  to  me  with  a  stiff  bow.  On 
opening  it,  I  found  it  was  a  carefully  prepared 
outline  of  the  proposed  cruise  up  the  river,  with 
detours  in  various  bays  and  smaller  streams. 

"  I  will  examine  this  at  my  leisure ;  for  I  am 
called  to  the  house  of  Colonel  Shepard  by  Mr. 
Garningham,"  I  continued.  "  Very  likely  he  de 
sires  to  give  me  instructions  in  regard  to  the 
up-river  trip.  If  he  does,  I  wish  to  see  you  as 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  155 

soon  as  I  return;  and  I  may  not  be  gone  more 
than  an  hour." 

Cornwood  made  no  reply ;  but  I  saw  that  he 
was  biting  his  lip.  My  request  was  equivalent  to 
an  order  to  remain  on  board,  and  he  was  not  ex 
actly  in  position  to  set  my  wishes  at  defiance.  I 
went  ashore  as  soon  as  a  boat  could  be  dropped 
into  the  water,  and  hastened  to  the  house  of  the 
Colonel.  Owen  said  he  was  very  glad  to  see  me  ; 
and  from  the  excitement  of  his  manner,  I  judged 
that  something  was  in  the  wind. 

"  To-morrow  will  be  Saturday,"  said  he,  walk 
ing  up  and  down  the  parlor  where  I  had  seated 
myself.  "The  same  party  we  had  to-day,  in 
cluding  the  Silver  Cornet  Band,  will  make  a  little- 
run  up  the  river,  and  stop  for  a  while  at  Mrs. 
Mitchell's  place,  if  it  is  practicable,  with  a  dinner 
at  four  o'clock." 

"  It  is  not  practicable  —  " 

"  It  is  not  practicable  !  "  exclaimed  Owen,  stop 
ping  in  front  of  me. 

"  You  did  not  hear  me  out,  my  dear  charterer 
of  the  Sylvania,"  I  replied,  amused  at  the  sudden 
check  put  upon  his  enthusiasm.  "  It  is  not  practi 
cable  to  run  the  steamer  up  to  the  pier  at  Mrs. 
Mitchell's  place ;  but  we  can  land  the  passengers 


156  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

in  the  boats.  Of  course  we  can  go  up  the  river 
as  far  as  Pilatka,  and  perhaps  farther." 

"  We  don't  want  to  go  up  to  —  what's  that  place 
you  mentioned?  I  have  heard  of  it  before,  and  it 
is  forty  or  fifty  miles  up,"  added  Owen,  who  had 
been  too  busy  looking  after  Miss  Edith  to  pay 
any  attention  to  the  geography  of  the  State. 

"The  place  is  Pilatka;  and  it  is  seventy-five 
miles  up." 

"  It  would  take  all  day  to  go  to  Pilatka ;  be 
sides,  I  don't  wish  to  spoil  all  the  fun  of  the  trip 
we  are  to  take  next  week.  There's  a  Chinese 
town  or  city,  where  Mrs.  What's-her-name  lives, 
about  a  dozen  miles  up,"  continued  my  cousin. 

"  A  Chinese  town  ?  There  are  no  Chinamen  of 
any  consequence  in  Florida." 

"  No,  no  !  A  town  with  a  Chinese  name,  where 
the  lady  that  wrote  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  lives," 
interposed  Owen  impatiently. 

"Mandarin,"  I  added,  after  I  had  consulted  a 
pamphlet  guide  I  had  picked  up  in  one  of  the 
hotels.  "It  is  fifteen  miles  from  here." 

"  That's  the  place ;  and  it  is  just  the  right  dis 
tance  !  "  exclaimed  Owen.  "  We  will  go  to  Man 
darin.  By  the  way,  you  must  have  a  lunch  on 
board  about  twelve." 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      157 

"All  this  is  quite  practicable." 

"  And  why  can't  you  take  the  steamer  up  to  the 
pier  at  Mrs.  Mitchell's  place?"  demanded  my  pas 
senger. 

"  Because  the  bottom  is  too  near  the  top  of  the 
water,"  I  replied,  laughing  at  the  puzzled  expres 
sion  on  my  cousin's  face. 

"  Couldn't  you  have  the  bottom  put  farther 
down  for  this  occasion?"  he  inquired  very  seri 
ously. 

"  Certainly,  if  you  are  willing  to  pay  the  bills 
and  to  wait  long  enough  for  the  work  to  be  done." 

"I  don't  object  to  the  bills,  but  we  can't  wait." 

"  I  see  that  you  have  become  quite  an  American 
traveller ;  you  don't  dispute  any  bills,  and  you 
can't  wait." 

"  I  can't  wait  to  have  a  channel  dredged  out  up 
to  that  pier,  for  very  likely  it  would  take  all  day 
to  do  it." 

"  It  would  take  you  Britishers  three  months  to 
do  it ;  Americans  would  do  it  in  a  week." 

"  I  think  my  uncle,  your  father,  is  a  Britisher. 
But  I  have  no  time  to  quarrel  with  you  about  that 
matter  now ;  it  will  keep.  We  will  be  landed  at 
the  pier  in  boats,  since  you  are  not  willing  to 
accommodate  us  in  any  other  manner." 


158  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

w  I  will  arrange  the  landing  so  that  it  shall  be 
satisfactory,"  I  added,  thinking  of  a  large  barge  I 
had  seen  at  the  boat- wharf. 

"  Then  we  are  all  right  for  to-morrow,  are  we, 
Alick?"  asked  my  facetious  cousin. 

"All  right.  Whenever  you  tell  me  what  you 
want,  it  shall  be  done." 

"But  just  now  you  objected  to  taking  your 
steamer  up  to  that  pier." 

"  I  should  have  qualified  the  declaration  —  " 

"  Merciful  Hotandsplosh  !  " 

"  Is  that  man  your  idol  ?  " 

"  You  take  my  breath  away  with  your  stunning 
long  words ! " 

"I  won't  take  your  breath  away,  for  you  will 
want  it  all.  I  will  do  all  you  want  when  I  can," 
I  added. 

"  How  much  prettier  that  sounds  than  '  qualified 
the  declaration.' " 

"  I  see  that  I  must  write  out  all  my  speeches  in 
words  of  not  more  than  four  letters,  so  as  to  bring 
them  down  to  the  dull  brain  of  a  Briton." 

"The  dull  brain  of  a  Briton  is  good." 

"So  your  friend  Hotandsplosh  would  say." 

"I  will  introduce  him  to  you  some  time." 

"  I  don't  want  to  know  him ;  he  is  too  slow  for 
me." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  159 

"  Come,  come,  Alick ;  we  are  quarrelling  when 
we  have  business  to  do,"  said  Owen,  shaking  his 
shoulders  like  a  vexed  child. 

"  You  are  quarrelling  ;  I  am  not.  You  pick  me 
up  on  my  language  as  though  you  were  my  school 
master,  and  then  complain  that  I  am  impeding  the 
business  of  the  conference." 

"  Cut  it  short !  f  Impeding  the  business  of  the 
conference  ! '  That  jaw  of  yours  will  need  to  be 
patched  up  by  a  dentist,  man  !  " 

"Your  jaw  does  all  the  mischief;  and  you  are 
at  it  again,  with  your  pedagogical  —  " 

"  Cut  it  short !  What  a  word  !  A  young  man 
of  high  aims  ought  not  to  use  such  a  word ;  and 
anybody  else  ought  to  be  hung  for  it !  " 

"  Still  at  it !  " 

"  I  wish  to  say  something  about  the  run  up  the 
river,"  continued  Owen,  who  was  very  fond  of 
criticising  my  language,  and  would  even  neglect 
important  business  to  do  it. 

"  Say  it,  then." 

"  Where  do  we  go  ?  " 

"Wherever  you  say." 

"  Merciful  Hotandsplosh !  Am  I  to  study  up 
the  geography  of  this  State,  so  as  to  tell  you 
where  to  go?"  demanded  my  passenger. 

"I  will  select  a  route,  in  consultation  —  " 


160  DOWN  SOUTH;  OK, 

"  Oh  dear  !  "  gasped  Owen,  throwing  himself  at 
full  length  on  a  sofa,  with  his  legs  hanging  over 
one  end  of  it,  as  though  he  were  in  utter  despair. 

"I  will  talk  with  K-u-r-n-e-l,  Colonel,  S-h-e-p- 
a-r-d,  Shepard,  a-bout  the  r-o-u-t-e,  route." 

"Good!  Shove  it  off  on  the  Colonel!"  ex 
claimed  Owen.  "  I  know  what  you  say  now ;  and 
I  feel  better." 

"  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  know  where  it  is 
possible  for  us  to  go,"  I  continued,  taking  Corn- 
wood's  paper  from  my  pocket  as  Owen  sprang  to 
his  feet.  "  Here  are  some  suggestions  in  regard 
to  where  we  may  go ;  it  was  made  up  by  our 
guide  ;  "  and  I  handed  him  the  paper,  which  he 
opened  to  the  fold  of  the  sheet,  and  turned  it  over 
and  over. 

"  Merciful  Grand  Panjandrum  !  " 

"  Another  friend  of  yours  !  " 

"  I  got  him  out  of  an  American  book ;  and  that 
accounts  for  it !  Am  I  to  read  all  this  ?  Tempus 
fugit.  Ijetitfugit!  I  should  have  to  be  buried 
in  the  blue  sands  of  Florida  if  I  read  all  this ; " 
and  he  turned  it  over  several  times  more. 

"  You  would  have  to  be  buried  in  thought  for  a 
short  time  if  you  read  it." 

"  Let  me  see,  what  did  you  call  what's  in  this 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  161 

paper?  Suggestions,  was  it?  If  these  are  only 
suggestions,  what  must  the  real  thing  be  !  No, 
no,  Alick  !  Go  where  you  please  ;  but  don't  ask 
me  to  read  that  paper.  Only  give  us  some  shoot 
ing  and  fishing.  Don't  bother  me  with  any  more 
suggestions." 

"  You  sent  for  me,  and  I  came." 

"I  know  you  did.  You  are  a  young  lamb, 
Alick.  Now  go  and  put  it  to  the  Colonel  and 
Tiffany." 

Presently  Colonel  Shepard's  party  came  into  the 
parlor.  They  had  just  arrived  at  the  house,  for 
they  had  stopped  to  see  some  alligators,  and  to 
buy  Gulf  beans  and  alligator's  teeth,  ornamented, 
for  watch-charms  and  other  wear.  Miss  Margie 
had  seen  an  alligator  six  feet  long,  and  thought  he 
was  very  terrible.  The  baby  reptiles  she  consid 
ered  "  very  cunning  little  pets." 

I  proceeded  at  once  to  talk  with  Colonel  Shep- 
ard  about  the  up-river  trip.  He  looked  the  paper 
over,  but  he  and  Mr.  Tiffany  were  almost  as  much 
perplexed  over  it  as  Owen  had  been. 

"  We  must  go  up  the  St.  Johns  to  Enterprise, 
at  least,  and  up  the  Ocklawaha  to  Lake  Griffin," 
said  the  Colonel. 

"  But  the  Sylvania  draws  too  much  water  to  go 
11 


162  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

far  beyond  Pilatka.  After  we  get  the  anthracite 
coal  out  of  the  bunkers  we  shall  carry  up  eight 
feet,"  I  replied. 

"  Carry  up  eight  feet !  You  have  only  two  to 
carry,  and  an  alligator  may  bite  off  one  of  them," 
shouted  Owen,  who  it  seemed  had  been  listening 
to  me,  instead  of  giving  attention  to  Miss  Edith's 
charms,  about  which  she  was  talking. 

"  Give  heed  to  my  charms,  Mr.  Garningham  !  " 
said  Miss  Edith. 

"  That's  just  what  I  have  done  since  I  first  saw 
you  !  "  exclaimed  Owen. 

I  promised  to  consult  the  Floridian,  and  took 
my  leave. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.     163 


CHAPTEK  XVI. 

GRIFFIN   LEEDS    AT   A    DISCOUNT. 

I  DID  not  expect  that  Mr.  Cornwood  would  come 
on  shore  after  what  had  passed  between  him  and 
me,  and  I  did  not  hurry  on  board  when  I  left  the 
house  of  Colonel  Shepard.  I  passed  from  St. 
James  Square  down  Laura  Street,  into  Forsyth,  on 
which  the  St.  Johns  House  was  situated.  I  passed 
the  house  several  times,  looking  for  Washburn,  for 
I  desired  to  know  what  success  he  had  had  in  look 
ing  up  Mr.  Cobbington.  I  saw  nothing  of  the 
mate,  and  I  went  into  Bay  Street,  only  a  square 
from  Forsyth. 

I  looked  in  every  direction  for  Washburn,  but  I 
could  not  find  him,  and  I  was  obliged  to  give  up 
the  search.  I  found  my  boat's  crew  on  the  wharf, 
watching  some  negroes  opening  oysters.  It  was 
done  in  a  very  clumsy  manner,  compared  with  the 
work  of  a  Providence  opener  I  had  seen  in  New 
York ;  and  my  men  were  not  at  all  satisfied  with 
the  manner  it  was  done,  though  they  had  no 
interest  in  the  job. 


164  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

"  Have  you  seen  Mr.  Washburn,  Ben  ?  "  I  asked, 
as  we  walked  down  the  wharf. 

"Yes,  sir;  we  put  him  on  board  half 'an  hour 
ago,"  replied  the  assistant  engineer,  who  preferred 
to  pull  a  boat  rather  than  be  idle. 

"That  was  why  I  could  not  find  him  in  the  streets 
of  Jacksonville,"  I  added.  "  Has  any  one  come  off 
from  the  steamer  since  I  came  ashore  ?  " 

"No,  sir,  not  a  soul,"  answered  Ben,  decidedly. 

I  was  glad  to  hear  this,  for  it  assured  me  that 
Cornwood  had  not  left  the  steamer.  The  Sylvania 
was  anchored  on  the  other  side  of  the  main  channel, 
which  was  near  the  line  of  wharves,  but  not  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  In  a  few  minutes 
I  was  on  board.  The  mate  was  at  supper ;  and  as 
I  had  dined  within  a  couple  of  hours,  I  did  not 
disturb  him.  I  went  to  the  steward,  and  gave  him 
directions  in  regard  to  the  lunch  and  dinner  for 
the  next  day.  Cornwood  was  smoking  his  cigar 
on  the  forecastle.  I  took  the  precaution  to  tell 
him  that  I  wanted  to  see  him  hi  about  half  an  hour 
or  less,  that  he  might  not  come  into  my  room  while 
I  was  engaged  with  Washburn. 

I  had  done  some  thinking  over  the  matter  of 
eavesdroppers  on  board.  I  came  to  the  conclu 
sion  that  I  would  have  nothing  of  the  kind  on 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      165 

board.  I  had  entire  confidence  in  the  two  engi 
neers,  one  of  whom  was  the  son  of  my  guardian  in 
Montomercy,  and  the  other  had  sailed  with  me 
since  the  Sylvania  had  come  into  my  possession. 
Moses  Brickland,  the  chief,  was  lying  on  a  sofa  in 
the  engine-room.  I  called  Ben,  and  told  them  both 
enough  to  enable  them  to  understand  the  situation, 
and  that  some  of  the  later  additions  to  our  ship's 
company  might  be  eavesdroppers.  I  asked  them 
to  keep  an  eye  on  the  open  windows  of  my  state 
room,  and  let  me  know  if  there  were  any  skulking 
or  loitering  near  them.  Moses  seated  himself  at 
one  door  of  the  engine-room,  and  Ben  at  the  other. 
They  were  on  deck,  next  to  the  rail,  where  they 
could  see  the  windows  of  my  room.  There  was  a 
skylight  in  the  hurricane-deck  overhead,  which  was 
always  open  in  this  climate  when  it  did  not  rain. 
I  said  nothing  about  this  opening,  because  I  could 
hear  any  person's  footsteps  on  the  deck  over  me. 

AVashburn  came  on  deck  soon  after  I  had  made 
this  little  arrangement.  We  went  into  our  room 
by  mutual  consent,  for  one  had  something  to  say, 
and  the  other  wanted  to  hear  it.  I  explained  to 
him  what  I  had  done  to  trap  any  listener  who 
might  want  to  know  what  we  said.  He  replied 
that  he  had  thought  of  doing  something;  of  the  kind 

C  O  O 


166  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

himself;  but  he  did  not  care  to  throw  suspicion 
even  upon  Griffin  Leeds  by  telling  others  the  true 
story. 

"Well,  Washburn,  did  you  find  your  man?"  I 
asked. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  did  not,"  he  replied.  "  But 
I  found  where  he  boarded ;  and  was  told  he  was 
out,  and  would  not  return  before  nine  or  ten  in  the 
evening.  I  shall  try  again  early  in  the  morning, 
before  he  goes  out  for  the  day,  for  he  takes  only 
his  breakfast  at  the  house  where  he  lodges." 

"  Where  does  he  lodge  ?  "  I  inquired. 

Washburn  gave  me  the  street  and  number.  It 
was  not  in  the  best  part  of  the  city  by  any  means ; 
and  the  mate  inferred  that  he  was  not  connected 
with  the  "  first  families."  But  he  was  none  the 
worse  for  this.  His  landlord  knew  nothing  about 
him,  and  had  made  him  pay  a  week's  board  in 
advance. 

We  continued  to  talk  about  Cobbington  for  some 
time ;  but  we  were  none  the  wiser  when  we  got 
through  than  when  we  began.  Suddenly  we  heard 
a  tremendous  scuffling  overhead.  It  sounded  as 
though  two  men  or  more  were  engaged  in  a  severe 
conflict.  After  the  first  onslaught  was  over,  the 
voices  of  two  ^ngry  men  were  heard ;  and  one  of 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  167 

them  was  that  of  Ben  Bowman.  Both  Washburn 
and  I  rushed  out  of  the  state-room,  he  at  one  door, 
and  I  at  the  other. 

When  we  were  able  to  see  the  combatants,  they 
were  found  to  be  Ben  Bowman  and  Griffin  Leeds. 
Ben  had  by  this  time  proved  that  he  was  the  more 
powerful  and  efficient  of  the  two,  for  the  octoroon 
had  been  pinned,  as  it  were,  to  the  deck,  so  that 
he  was  unable  to  do  anything  but  kick.  The  as 
sistant  engineer  had  him  by  the  throat,  and  the 
listener's  attempts  to  speak  resulted  in  nothing  but 
a  hoarse,  choking  sound,  which  it  was  painful  to 
hear.  Griffin's  strength  was  rapidly  failing  him 
under  the  severe  treatment  of  the  engineer. 

In  another  minute,  all  hands  were  climbing  the 
ladder  to  the  hurricane-deck.  I  noticed  that  Corn- 
wood  came  up  from  the  forecastle  over  the  top  of 
the  pilot-house,  which  I  had  forbidden  any  one  on 
board  to  do,  at  the  beginning  of  the  voyage,  to 
prevent  injury  to  the  paint.  I  concluded  that 
Griffin  had  come  up  in  the  same  way.  The  occa 
sion  of  the  strife  was  plain  enough  to  me  as  soon 
as  I  discovered  who  were  engaged  in  it.  I  felt  a 
little  cheap  after  all  the  precautions  I  had  taken  to 
prevent  being  overheard. 

"Let  him  up,  Ben, "I  said,  when  I  thought  he 
had  done  enough. 


168  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

The  engineer  at  once  relinquished  his  hold  on 
the  octoroon,  and  stood  up.  But  Griffin  did  not 
appear  to  be  able  to  get  up  yet.  Both  of  the  men 
were  gasping  for  breath,  and  neither  of  them  was 
able  to  speak  for  some  minutes.  As  the  waiter 
lay  on  the  deck,  I  noticed  that  he  wore  no  shoes, 
though  he  had  on  a  pair  of  woollen  socks.  I  looked 
about  for  his  shoes.  I  had  not  seen  Griffin  before 
since  I  came  on  board. 

"  It  is  plain  enough  what  this  affair  means,"  I 
said  to  the  mate,  while  we  were  waiting  for  Ben  to 
get  his  breath,  and  to  be  able- to  explain  what  the 
occasion  of  the  conflict  was. 

"  It  don't  need  a  very  long-headed  man  to  ex 
plain  it,"  replied  the  mate.  "  Griffin  has  been  at 
the  old  trick  again." 

"  What  is  the  old  trick,  Mr.  Mate  ?  "  demanded 
Corn  wood,  rather  offensively. 

"  If  you  are  a  sailor,  you  will  call  me  by  my 
name,"  replied  Washburn,  with  dignity. 

"  Excuse  me,  Mr.  Washburn ;  but  I  am  some 
what  interested  in  one  of  the  parties  to  this  row," 
added  Cornwood,  as  he  glanced  at  me.  "  I  meant 
no  offence,  but  I  was  a  little  excited  by  the  circum 
stances.  I  brought  this  man  on  board,  and  I  am 
anxious  to  have  him  do  his  duty  faithfully," 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  169 

answered  Corn  wood,  with  what  seemed  to  me  to 
be  affected  humility,  for  his  eye  still  flashed,  and 
he  was  evidently  struggling  to  be  calm.  "  Will 
you  be  kind  enough  to  tell  me,  Mr.  Washburn, 
what  the  old  trick  was  ?  " 

"Eavesdropping;  listening  to  conversation  not 
intended  for  him,  which  was  going  on  in  the  cap 
tain's  room,"  replied  the  mate,  rather  warmly. 

"  It  is  very  strange  to  me,  for  I  have  known  the 
boy  for  years,  and  I  never  heard  any  of  his  em 
ployers  find  fault  with  him  before,"  added  Corn- 
wood.  "  I  don't  believe  there  is  a  better  behaved 
boy  in  the  State  than  Griffin  Leeds.  Excuse  me 
for  saying  so  much,  which  I  should  not  have  said 
if  I  had  not  brought  the  boy  on  board  and  recom 
mended  him  to  you." 

I  had  no  fault  to  find  with  his  statement,  as  long 
as  it  was  respectful.  By  this  time  Ben  had  go't  his 
wind  again,  and  appeared  to  be  ready  to  explain 
the  reason  for  the  conflict  which  had  created  such 
a  sensation  on  board.  All  hands  were  on  deck, 
gathered  around  the  combatants.  I  was  satisfied 
from  the  beginning  that  Ben  had  not  begun  the 
fight,  for  this  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  known 
him  to  resort  to  violence,  except  when  he  had  been 
ordered  to  do  so  by  the  mate  in  two  instances, 


170  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

both  of  them  being  the  expulsion  from  the  vessel 
of  Captain  Boomsby. 

"  Well,  how  was  it,  Mr.  Bowman  ? "  I  asked, 
calling  him  by  his  last  name  with  a  handle  to  it,  as 
I  always  did  in  the  presence  of  the  ship's  company. 

"A  few  minutes  before  I  came  upon  the  hurri 
cane-deck,  sir,  I  thought  there  was  something  like 
motion  forward  of  the  foremast.  I  stood  up,  but 
I  could  not  see  anything  or  anybody.  But  I  could 
not  get  it  out  of  my  head  that  something  was  going 
on  there.  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Brickland  about  it,  and 
he  told  me  to  go  up  and  see  what  it  was." 

"  Where  was  Mr.  Brickland  at  that  time  ?  "  de 
manded  Cornwood. 

"Mr.  Bowman  is  answering  my  question,  Mr. 
Cornwood,  and  you  will  not  interfere,"  I  inter 
posed,  for  the  Floridian  appeared  to  have  taken 
upon  himself  the  duty  of  counsel  for  the  octoroon. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  captain,"  replied  Cornwood 
with  a  deferential  bow. 

"  I  went  to  the  ladder  on  the  starboard  side,  and 
mounted  to  this  deck.  As  soon  as  I  got  up  here, 
I  saw  Griffin  lying  flat  on  his  face,  with  his  right 
ear  at  the  opening  under  the  sash  of  the  skylight. 
I  slipped  off  my  shoes,  and  crept  as  lightly  as  I 
could  to  the  place  where  Griffin  lay.  I  had  no  idea 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  171 

of  attacking  him,  and  only  intended  to  see  what  he 
was  doing  there.  As  soon  as  I  was  satisfied  that 
he  was  listening  to  the  conversation  between  you 
and  Mr.  Washburn,  which  I  could  hear,  though  I 
could  not  tell  what  you  said,  I  just  touched  him  on 
the  shoulder.  I  meant  to  beckon  him  to  come 
away  from  the  skylight,  but  he  did  not  give  me 
time  to  do  that.  He  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  we 
all  know  he  is  a  spry  fellow,  and  pitched  into  me 
as  though  I  had  tried  to  murder  him." 

"  You  lie  !  "  yelled  the  octoroon,  with  a  savage 
oath.  "  You  did  try  to  murder  me  !  " 

Griffin  leaped  from  his  recumbent  position,  and, 
foaming  with  rage,  drew  a  bowie-knife  from  his 
pocket,  the  long  blade  of  which  he  threw  open 
with  a  jerk  of  his  hand.  With  the  knife  gleaming 
in  the  air,  he  rushed  upon  Ben  Bowman.  He 
would  surely  have  plunged  the  blade  into  his  in 
tended  victim,  if  Buck  Lingley  had  not  darted 
upon  him  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  knife.  The  deck 
hand  was  the  stoutest  person  on  board,  and  he  bore 
the  octoroon  to  the  deck  in  an  instant,  and  wrenched 
the  knife  from  his  grasp. 

"  Hold  on  to  him  a  moment,  Buck  !  "  I  called  to 
him.  ''Get  some  line,  and  tie  him  hand  and  foot !" 

Hop  Tossford  sprang  to  obey  my  order.     He 


172  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

seized  the  end  of  a  heave-line,  and  while  Buck  drew 
the  arms  of  the  waiter  behind  him,  he  secured  them 
in  this  position  with  the  assistance  of  the  mate. 
This  line  was  only  for  temporary  use ;  and  Hop 
soon  brought  a  handful  of  pieces  of  whale-line 
from  the  store-room,  and  the  prisoner  was  care 
fully  secured.  The  octoroon  struggled  to  escape, 
but  the  mate  and  Buck  held  him  tight. 

"Drop  the  starboard  boat  into  the  water,"  I 
continued.  "  Mr.  Washburn,  you  will  deliver  him 
to  the  police  of  the  city." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  173 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

POOR    GRIFF    AND    HIS    COUNSEL. 

"  QURELY,    Captain  Garningham,   you  cannot 

k3  mean  to  hand  the  man  over  to  the  police 
for  getting  into  a  common  brawl,"  said  Cornwood, 
when  I  had  given  my  order. 

"  We  don't  allow  brawls  on  board  this  steamer. 
This  is  the  first  one  that  ever  occurred  on  the 
decks  of  this  vessel,"  I  replied,  debating  in  my 
own  mind  whether  or  not  I  should  discharge  the 
Floridian,  who  seemed  to  be  the  real  culprit, 
though  of  course  I  could  not  prove  that  he  was 
the  octoroon's  principal  in  the  business  of  eaves 
dropping. 

"But  this  was  simply  a  misunderstanding  be 
tween  the  men  ;  and  both  of  them  will  be  as  good 
friends  as  ever  before  morning,"  pleaded  Corn- 
wood.  "Mr.  Bowman  intended  to  do  the  boy 
no  harm  when  he  seized  hold  of  him ;  and  poor 
Griff  thought  he  intended  to  kill  him." 

"  That's  just  what  I  thought,"  replied  the  octo 
roon,  who  had  entirely  cooled  off. 


174  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"But  I  didn't  seize  hold  of  him,  as  the  gentle 
man  says,"  interposed  Ben  Bowman.  "  I  did  not 
lay  the  weight  of  one  hand  on  him ;  I  only  just 
touched  him,  as  I  said  before ;  and  I  don't  want 
anybody  to  say  I  seized  hold  of  him.  I  didn't  do 
anything  of  the  sort." 

"I  lay  down  there  and  went  to  sleep,  for  I 
have  had  to  work  hard  to-day.  I  lay  in  a  hard 
position,  and  I  suppose  it  was  that  which  made 
me  dream  that  somebody  had  struck^me  on  the 
head,  and  was  trying  to  murder  me,"  Griffin  ex 
plained,  in  the  most  humble  tones.  "I  woke, 
and  seeing  a  man  bending  over  me,  I  thought  the 
dream  was  a  reality." 

"  Were  you  dreaming  when  you  drew  the  knife, 
at  least  five  minutes  after  you  were  pinned  to  the 
deck  by  Mr.  Bowman?"  I  asked,  sternly.  "Your 
story  is  too  thin." 

"  I  was  mad,  crazy  with  excitement ;  I  didn't 
know  what  I  was  doing,"  pleaded  "poor  Griff." 
"  Don't  give  me  over  to  the  police  !  I  never  was 
before  a  court  for  anything  in  all  my  life  !  For 
give  Hae  this  time,  dear  Captain  !  " 

I  was  afraid  I  might  do  so  if  he  talked  to  me 
long  in  this  strain. 

"  Take   him   down   to   the   boat  !     Obey   your 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IX  FLORIDA.      175 

order,  Mr.  Washburn  !  "  I  said,  with  energy. 
"  Take  the  knife  with  you,  and  deliver  it  to  the 
police." 

"Captain  Garningham,  I  beg  you  to  consider 
that  you  are  doing  a  very  great  injustice  to  this 
boy,  who,  I  am  certain,  intended  no  harm  to  any 
body,"  interposed  Cornwood  again. 

"  I  don't  believe  in  the  harmless  intentions  of  a 
man  who  can  draw  a  bowie-knife  on  another,"  I 
replied ;  and  I  had  no  more  doubt  of  the  octo 
roon's  guilt  than  I  had  of  my  own  existence. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  indeed  that  you  should  take 
so  serious  a  view  of  what  has  proved  a  harmless 
affray,"  added  Cornwood.  "If  you  deliver  him 
over  to  the  police,  which,  as  the  captain  of  the 
vessel,  you  have  a  right  to  do,  I  suppose  his  case 
will  be  called  to-morrow  forenoon.  I  must  ask 
leave  of  absence  to  act  as  his  counsel." 

I  supposed  this  was  said  to  remind  me  of  the 
excursion  of  the  next  day,  the  news  of  which  had 
been  circulated  from  the  steward's  department. 
But  the  excursion  made  no  difference  to  me ;  I 
felt  that  I  had  a  duty  to  perform,  and  I  was  re 
solved  to  perform  it,  even  if  the  excursion  had  to 
be  postponed  to  another  day.  Griffin  Leeds  was 
carried  into  the  boat,  and  the  mate  departed  for 
the  city  with  him. 


176  DOWN  -SOUTH  ;  OR, 

"Now,  Mr.  Cornwood,  I  should  like  to  see  you 
in  regard  to  the  up-river  trip,"  I  said,  as  soon 
as  the  boat  had  left  the  steamer.  "  We  leave  on 
Monday.'' 

"  If  this  affair  which  has  just  occurred  will  per 
mit  us  to  do  so,"  added  the  Floridian,  rather 
stiffly. 

"  That  need  not  detain  us  a  single  day,"  I  re 
plied,  decidedly.  "  We  have  twice  as  many  hands 
as  we  need  for  this  river  navigation ;  and  we  can 
spare  all  that  may  be  needed  as  witnesses." 

"But  I  have  to  remain  to  defend  poor  Griff, 
who,  I  am  persuaded,  is  a  victim  of  circum 
stances,"  said  Cornwood,  who  evidently  intended 
to  make  it  plain  I  was  to  reap  the  bitter  fruits  of 
my  folly  in  the  dissatisfaction  of  my  passengers, 
as  they  might  not  be  inclined  to  stay  after  they 
had  made  up  their  minds  to  go. 

"  Then  I  shall  be  obliged  to  make  the  trip  with 
a  river  pilot,"  I  added  promptly,  for  I  did  not 
intend  that  the  Floridian  should  get  ahead  of  me 
in  this  business. 

The  guide  bit  his  lips,  as  though  he  did  not 
quite  like  the  situation.  He  knew  enough  of 
Owen  Garningham  to  understand  that,  after  he 
had  made  up  his  mind  to  start  on  the  up-river  trip 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      177 

on  Monday,  he  would  be  determined  to  go  in  the 
face  of  all  obstacles. 

"I  can  hardly  desert  the  poor  fellow  in  his 
trouble,"  sighed  Mr.  Cornwood. 

"  That  is  a  question  you  must  decide  for  your 
self,"  I  replied,  with  as  much  indifference  as  I 
could  assume.  "  It  seems  to  me  you  make  a 
light  matter  of  a  serious  assault,  and  your  sym 
pathy  is  all  with  the  man  who  committed  it.  You 
call  him  '  poor  Griff,'  as  though  he  were  a  perse 
cuted  victim,  instead  of  one  who  had  raised  his 
hand  with  a  knife  in  it  against  one  of  the  ship's 
company." 

"I  have  a  great  regard  for  that  boy,  for  he 
saved  my  life  once  when  I  fell  overboard  and  was 
injured  so  that  I  could  not  swim,  and  there  were 
three  large  sharks  near  the  vessel.  I  should  be 
inhuman  to  desert  him,  even  if  he  were  as  guilty 
as  you  seem  to  think  he  is,"  continued  the  guide  ; 
but  I  was  inclined  to  believe  that  his  explanation 
was  more  than  half  an  invention. 

"  In  what  court  will  this  man  be  brought  up  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"  He  will  be  brought  before  the  mayor,  as 
magistrate ;  and  if  he  considers  it  a  simple  as 
sault,  he  will  fine  the  boy,  or  send  him  to  prison ; 
12 


178  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

if  an  assault  with  intent  to  kill,  he  will  bind  him 
over  to  a  higher  court  for  trial." 

"  In  either  case,  the  matter  is  likely  to  be  dis 
posed  of  in  season  for  the  excursion  to-morrow 
forenoon.  If  he  is  bound  over,  we  can  appear, 
such  of  us  as  are  required  as  witnesses,  at  the 
proper  time,"  I  replied,  as  off-hand  as  though  I 
had  been  a  lawyer  all  my  days.  "Now  we  will 
leave  that  question,  and  turn  to  others  of  more 
importance." 

"  It  may  be  a  matter  of  light  importance  to  have 
the  boy  sent  off  to  work  with  a  prison-gang  for 
two  or  three  years,  but  I  don't  so  regard  it," 
growled  Cornwood. 

"  When  a  man  draws  a  knife  on  another,  he 
needs  the  attention  of  the  courts.  You  seem  to 
be  so  accustomed  to  that  sort  of  thing  that  you 
mind  nothing  about  it.  "Where  I  come  from  we 
don't  use  knives  with  that  sort  of  freedom." 

"If  it  were  not  clearly  a  misunderstanding  on 
the  part  of  poor  Griff,  I  wouldn't  say  anything 
more  about  it." 

"  It  was  no  misunderstanding  when  Griffin  leaped 
to  his  feet,  at  least  five  minutes  after  the  struggle 
with  the  engineer,  and  rushed  upon  him  with  a 
knife.  But  we  will  say  nothing  more  about  it, 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  179 

anyhow.  Colonel  Shepard  says  the  party  wish  to 
go  up  the  river  as  far  as  Sanford  and  Enterprise, 
and  up  the  Ocklawaha  to  Lake  Griffin." 

"As  it  seems  to  be  very  uncertain  whether  I 
go  with  you  or  not,  I  prefer  to  say  nothing  about 
the  trip  for  the  present,"  replied  the  I^loridian, 
sulkily. 

"Very  well;  then  you  will  consider  your  en 
gagement  at  an  end,"  I  added,  without  an  instant's 
hesitation  ;  and  already  I  began  to  feel  some  relief 
at  the  idea  of  getting  rid  of  a  suspicious  person. 

My  sudden  decision  did  not  seem  to  suit  the 
guide  any  better  than  my  position  in  regard  to 
Griffin  Leeds.  I  had  risen  from  my  chair  at  the 
desk,  as  though  the  business  was  finished,  when  I 
gave  my  decision ;  and  by  this  time  he  could  be 
lieve  that  I  meant  all  I  said. 

"  There  will  be  time  enough  to  settle  this  business 
after  the  court  has  met  to-morrow  morning,"  said 
he,  with  an  evident  intention  of  "backingdown." 

"  But  my  passengers  wish  to  know  at  once  what 
the  plan  is,  and  I  desire  to  procure  a  pilot  for  the 
excursion  to-morrow,"  I  replied. 

"  I  will  go  with  you  on  the  excursion,  whether  I 
go  up  the  river  or  not." 

"  No,  you  will  not.     I  have  no  time  to  fool 


180  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

with  you.  I  shall  engage  a  pilot  to-night  for  the 
up-river  trip,  if  you  cannot  go  with  me,"  I  added, 
indignantly. 

"  I  think  I  can  go  with  you  ;  in  other  words,  I 
will  go  with  you.  It  is  not  possible  to  go  up  the 
Ocklawajia  in  this  steamer,"  said  Cornwood,  sud 
denly  changing  front,  somewhat  to  my  regret. 
"  The  masts  and  yards  would  be  carried  away  by 
the  trees  that  overhang  the  stream,  and  she  draws 
too  much  water  for  the  Ocklawaha  or  the  upper 
St.  Johns." 

"  That  matter  is  settled,  then,  and  I  will  re 
port  to  Colonel  Shepard.  Will  you  explain  to 
me  where  we  can  go  in  this  steamer." 

The  guide  became  as  communicative  as  ever  in 
a  little  while,  and  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the 
little  difference  which  had  threatened  a  serious 
rupture  in  our  relations.  He  was  as  pleasant  as 
though  no  cloud  had  passed  between  us.  We  dis 
cussed  the  up-river  trip,  and  I  made  memoranda 
of  what  he  said  till  ten  o'clock,  when  we  retired. 
If  what  he  said  about  his  obligations  to  Griffin 
Leeds  was  true,  I  could  not  blame  him  for  wish 
ing  to  stand  by  the  waiter.  But  a  fair  statement 
of  his  relations,  without  any  of  the  bullying  he  had 
attempted,  would  have  accomplished  his  wishes 
better. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  18 1 

When  I  turned  out  in  the  morning,  I  found  the 
mate  had  gone  ashore.  At  half-past  eight,  as  re 
quested  by  the  chief  of  police  through  Washburn, 
Ben  Bowman  and  I  went  on  shore  to  attend  the 
mayor's  court.  I  had  started  in  season  to  call 
on  Colonel  Shepard,  to  whom  I  related  all  the 
events  of  the  preceding  evening,  including  my 
interview  with  the  Floridian.  The  Colonel  de 
cided  to  ask  his  friend,  Colonel  Ives,  a  lawyer 
of  influence,  and  a  Floridian,  to  attend  court 
with  me. 

Washburn  was  on  hand  in  season,  and  the 
mayor  listened  to  the  testimony.  Cornwood  had 
his  opportunity  to  badger  the  witnesses,  and  he 
made  the  most  of  it.  The  magistrate,  in  spite 
of  the  eloquence  of  the  counsel  for  the  defence, 
chose  to  regard  the  offence  as  a  serious  assault, 
and  bound  the  prisoner  over  for  his  appearance 
at  a  higher  court,  three  weeks  hence.  This  was 
about  the  time  we  expected  to  be  absent  up  the 
river,  and  I  saw  that  the  Colonel's  friend  had 
managed  the  case  well  without  saying  a  word  out 
loud.  Cornwood  found  bail  for  the  culprit,  and 
he  was  released. 

"  I  suppose  he  can  return  to  his  duties  on  board 
of  the  steamer,"  said  the  waiter's  counsel. 


182  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  No,  sir ;  I  would  not  tolerate  such  a  man  on 
board  any  more  than  I  would  a  rattlesnake,"  I 
replied. 

I  paid  him  his  wages,  and  something  more,  on 
the  spot ;  and  when  he  left  the  court,  his  look  and 
his  manner  indicated  that  he  was  more  intent  upon 
revenge  than  anything  else.  It  was  quarter  of  ten 
when  the  case  was  thus  settled  for  the  present, 
and  we  hastened  to  the  wharf,  and  on  board.  I 
had  engaged  a  large  barge  at  the  boat-wharf  to 
put  the  passengers  on  board,  and  they  were  all 
taken  off  at  one  load. 

We  had  the  anchor  up  by  the  time  they  were 
alongside,  and  it  was  only  a  few  minutes  after  ten 
when  I  rang  the  bell  to  go  ahead. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  183 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE    EXCURSION   TO    MANDARIN. 

band  struck  up  a  lively  air  as  the  boat 
JL  started  ;  and  nothing  could  be  more  exhilarat 
ing  than  the  strains  of  the  music,  in  the  soft  sun 
shine  and  mild,  sweet  air  of  that  semi-tropical 
region.  It  was  March  ;  but  the  air  was  like  sum 
mer.  As  soon  as  we  had  passed  the  first  bend, 
the  St.  Johns  appeared  more  like  a  far-reaching 
lake  than  a  stream.  The  river  is  from  one  to  six 
miles  wide  below  Pilatka.  The  shores  are  never 
elevated,  for  there  is  not  a  bluff  upon  it  that  is 
more  than  thirty  feet  high,  while  generally  the  land 
is  only  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  water. 
The  highest  elevation  near  the  river  hardly  exceeds 
sixty  feet. 

The  country  is  almost  wholly  covered  with 
woods,  as  seen  from  the  river.  With  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  villages,  hardly  a  house  can  be  seen 
from  the  passing  steamer.  One  seems  to  be  nearly 
alone  with  nature  while  voyaging  on  this  broad 


184  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

tide.  The  trees  are  pines  and  magnolias,  and  now 
and  then  one  sees  a  patch  covered  with  jasmine, 
the  vine  of  which  climbs  the  trees  and  shrubs,  and 
blossoms  there.  There  are  plenty  of  flowers,  even 
in  the  early  spring.  Compared  with  Maine  or 
Michigan,  where  I  had  spent  most  of  my  life,  it 
was  fairy-land  in  March. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  Cornwood?"  asked 
Colonel  Ives,  as  he  entered  the  pilot-house,  soon 
after  we  were  under  way. 

The  party  was  somewhat  larger- than  it  had  been 
the  day  before,  and  both  the  Mayor  and  Colonel 
Ives,  with  their  families,  were  on  board. 

"  I  am  the  pilot  of  this  steamer  for  the  present," 
replied  Cornwood ;  and  I  thought  he  felt  a  little 
"  cut "  by  the  question. 

"  Isn't  this  a  little  derogatory  to  the  profession?" 
laughed  the  Colonel. 

"I  don't  practise  at  the  bar  much,  as  you  are 
aware :  my  health  does  not  admit  of  the  confine 
ment,"  the  pilot  explained. 

"  That  is  often  the  case  with  practitioners  who 
don't  have  much  to  do  in  their  profession." 

"  I  have  always  had  all  I  could  do  at  the  bar ; 
but  the  open  air  and  an  active  life  agree  best 
with  me." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  185 

"  It  does  with  everybody  who  is  short  of  cases." 

"  But  he  is  a  good  pilot  down  the  river,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  he  is  just  as  good  up  the  river, 
Colonel  Ives,"  I  interposed.  "  His  knowledge  of 
has  native  State  surprises  us  all." 

"  I  was  only  bantering  him,  captain,"  replied  the 
passenger.  "  I  think  he  is  a  very  good  lawyer  too, 
though  he  did  not  have  a  good  case  this  morning." 

"  When  it  comes  to  trial,  I  will  show  you  that  it 
is  a  better  case  than  you  think  it  is,"  replied  Corn- 
wood,  with  more  spirit  than  he  had  before  exhib 
ited.  f '  Prisoners  hang  that  hungry  jurymen  may 
dine,'  and  you  and  the  Mayor  were  in  a  hurry  to 
finish  the  case,  so  that  you  could  join  this  excur 
sion." 

"I  was  not  in  the  case,"  added  the  Colonel. 

"  But  you  prompted  the  magistrate  to  end  it  as 
soon  as  possible." 

"  What  was  the  use  of  talking  all  day  over  a 
matter  that  was  as  plain  as  day  ?  The  rascal  would 
have  killed  the  engineer,  if  the  deck-hands  hadn't 
interfered,"  replied  Colonel  Ives.  "  The  case  might 
have  been  finished  in  ten  minutes,  as  well  as  in 
three-quarters  of  an  hour." 

I  was  willing  the  lawyers  should  fight  it  out 
between  themselves,  and  I  left  the  pilot-house, 


186  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

which  Owen  and  his  ladies  had  not  yet  invaded. 
I  saw  Washburn  on  the  top-gallant  forecastle,  look 
ing  at  the  scenery  of  the  river,  and  I  joined  him  in 
this  retired  place.  I  had  not  yet  had  an  opportu 
nity  to  ask  him  if  he  had  found  Cobbington,  and  I 
went  to  the  forecastle  for  this  purpose. 

"I,  found  him,"  replied  the  mate,  in  a  disgusted 
tone.  "  But  I  might  as  well  not  have  found  him." 

"  Why  so  ?  "  I  inquired,  rather  amused  by  the 
manner  of  my  friend. 

"  Since  I  came  on  board,  I  have  found  out  some 
thing  more  than  I  knew  before.  Last  evening, 
while  you  were  ashore,  Corn  wood  called  a  boat 
that  was  passing,  and  sent  a  letter  ashore  by  the 
boatman,"  continued  Washburn,  as  much  dissatis 
fied  as  though  he  had  been  personally  injured.  "  Of 
course  that  note  went  to  Captain  Boomsby." 

"  How  do  you  know  Corn  wood  sent  a  letter  on 
shore  last  night  ?  " 

"  Buck,"  called  the  mate  to  the  deck-hand  who 
was  on  duty  forward. 

"On  deck,  sir,"  replied  Buck,  touching  his  cap 
to  the  mate. 

"  You  told  me  this  morning,  when  you  set  me 
ashore,  that  the  pilot  sent  a  letter  to  the  city  last 
night  by  a  boat  he  hailed." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  187 

"  Yes,  sir ;  three  or  four  of  us  were  on  deck  at 
the  time,  if  there  is  any  doubt  about  it,"  replied 
the  deck-hand. 

"  Xo  doubt  at  all  about  it.  Did  you  notice  the 
boatman  that  took  the  letter  ?  " 

"It  was  a  blacky  I  have  seen  a  dozen  times 
about  the  steamer  and  on  the  wharf,  looking  for 
jobs  for  that  boat-yard,"  replied  Buck.  "  He  was 
in  the  barge  that  brought  off  the  passengers  to-day." 

"All  right,  Buck;"  and  the  deck-hand  retired. 
"  After  I  heard  about  this  letter,  I  didn't  expect 
anything  of  Cobfeington,  if  I  found  him." 

"  Did  you  find  him  ?  " 

"  I  did ;  he  was  not  out  of  his  bed  when  I  called 
for  him.  He  told  me  he  had  two  water  moccasins, 
and  one  of  them  had  got  away  while  he  had  a  room 
at  Captain  Boomsby's.  He  did  not  know  what 
became  of  him.  He  had  looked  all  about  the 
house  without  being  able  to  find  him." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  what  became  of  the  other  ?  " 

"  I  asked  him  that  question,  and  he  told  me  lie 
had  him  still.  I  asked  him  to  let  me  see  him,  but 
he  refused  in  spite  of  all  I  could  say  to  induce  him 
to  show  him.  He  said  the  snake  was  nailed  up  in 
a  box,  with  only  some  holes  bored  in  it  to  admit 
the  air  ;  and  he  could  not  show  the  snake  without 


188  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

taking  off  the  cover  of  the  box.  The  moccasin 
was  a  dangerous  fellow,  and  he  didn't  want  to  run 
any  risks  with  him.  He  had  left  his  last  boarding- 
place  because  they  killed  a  rattlesnake  belonging 
to  him.  I  asked  him  to  show  me  the  box,  but  he 
wouldn't  even  do  that,  and  said  it  was  all  nonsense 
to  show  the  box." 

"  You  made  up  your  mind  that  he  had  no  moc 
casin?"  I  added. 

"  No  more  than  I  had.  On  my  way  down  from 
the  house  I  met  his  landlord,  coming  home  from 
the  market.  He  asked  me  if  I  had  found  Cob- 
bington.  I  told  him  I  had,  and  then  informed  him 
his  lodger  kept  a  live  moccasin  snake  in  his  room. 
He  was  greatly  astonished  at  what  I  told  him,  and 
declared  that  he  wouldn't  have  a  moccasin  in  his 
house  for  all  the  money  there  was  in  Jacksonville  ; 
the  snake  might  get  loose,  and  bite  his  wife  or  one 
of  his  children.  He  intimated  that  he  should 
hasten  home  and  turn  Cobbington  out  of  his  house  : 
he  would  not  have  any  man  under  his  roof  who 
would  endanger  the  lives  of  his  wife  and  children." 

"  That  was  bad  for  Cobbington,"  I  replied,  with 
a  smile. 

"  I  told  the  landlord  what  his  lodger  said,  that 
he  had  the  moccasin  nailed  up  in  a  box.  He  didn't 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  189 

care  how  he  kept  him :  he  would  not  have  such  a 
fellow  about  his  house.  I  added  that  I  did  not  v 
believe  Cobbington  had  any  such  snake  in  his 
room,  though  he  insisted  that  he  had.  Then  he 
either  had  a  moccasin,  or  he  lied  about  it,  and  in 
either  case  he  didn't  want  the  fellow  in  his  house. 
I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  landlord  wanted 
to  turn  out  his  lodger,  and  only  wished  for  a  reason 
able  excuse  for  getting  rid  of  him.  I  left  him ; 
and  I  suppose  Cobbington  has  been  turned  out  by 
this  time.  I  shouldn't  want  a  poisonous  snake  in 
my  house." 

"  Nor  a  man  who  would  lie  without  a  reasonable 
excuse,"  I  added. 

The  steamer  went  along  at  her  usual  speed.  I 
returned  to  the  pilot-house,  where  by  this  time 
Owen  had  installed  all  the  young  ladies  he  could 
get  into  it.  They  were  all  full  of  fun  and  jollity, 
and  were  enjoying  the  excursion  to  the  utmost. 
As  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  ought  to  do  so,  I 
found  no  occasion  to  complain.  I  could  not  help 
suspecting  that  the  pilot  might  be  guilty  of  some 
treachery,  after  the  events  of  the  morning,  and  I 
deemed  it  advisable  to  have  a  close  watch  upon 
him.  But  he  kept  the  steamer  in  the  middle  of 
the  river,  where  I  had  been  informed  there  were 


1  90  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

no  shoals ;  and  certainly  no  rocks,  for  not  one 
could  be  found  in  this  part  of  the  state,  even  big 
enough  to  stone  a  stray  dog. 

"  Mulberry  Grove  on  the  right,"  said  Comwood, 
who  did  not  neglect  his  duties  as  guide,  while  he 
attended  to  those  of  pilot. 

We  could  see  little  besides  a  long  pier,  though 
there  wras  a  glimpse  to  be  obtained  of  a  house 
through  the  vista  of  trees. 

Twenty  minutes  later  we  ran  up  to  the  pier  at 
Mandarin,  where  the  pilot  made  as  handsome  a 
landing  as  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.  It  was  half-past 
eleven  when  we  had  secured  the  steamer  to  the 
wharf.  The  band  played  some  popular  airs,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  I  judged  that  we  had  the  entire 
population  of  the  village  on  the  wharf.  It  was  a 
lively  time  for  Mandarin,  which  is  a  remarkably 
quiet  place.  I  believe  I  saw  something  like  a  store 
there,  though  I  am  not  quite  sure.  About  all  the 
houses  are  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  were 
reached  by  a  long,  narrow  foot-bridge,  built  over 
the  lagoon.  From  the  main  bridge,  cross  bridges 
extended  to  each  house. 

At  twelve  the  lunch  was  ready,  and  the  excur 
sionists  went  down  into  the  cabin  to  attend  to  it, 
\vhile  the  band  on  the  hurricane-deck  continued  to 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      191 

play.  An  oyster  chowder  and  baked  shad  were 
the  principal  substantial  of  the  lunch ;  and  while 
they  were  served,  Gopher  was  the  greatest  man  on 
board.  As  soon  as  the  lunch  was  disposed  of,  and 
the  cook  had  been  sufficiently  complimented,  the 
party  went  on  shore.  Corn  wood  led  the  way  over 
the  long  foot-bridge. 

"  There  is  an  alligator  in  the  wild  state,"  I  said 
to  Miss  Margie,  as  I  was  walking  with  her  and  her 
father. 

"  I  don't  see  anything,"  she  replied. 

"  Don't  you  see  that  splashing  in  the  water,  with 
something  black  in  the  midst  of  it?  That  is  an 
alligator,  the  first  one  I  ever  saw,"  I  added. 

It  looked  like  a  stick  of  wood.  A  little  farther 
along  we  saw  one  on  a  log.  He  was  not  more  than 
three  feet  long.  He  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
party,  who  had  never  seen  one  in  his  native  element 
before ;  but  we  expected  to  see  larger  ones  in  the 
course  of  a  week  or  two.  Mrs.  Stowe's  cottage 
was  one  of  the  first  we  came  to.  It  was  a  one- 
story,  wooden  house,  with  no  pretensions  to  ele 
gance.  An  immense  live-oak  grew  near  it,  and 
covered  the  cottage  with  its  branches.  Around  it 
was  an  orange  grove,  on  the  trees  of  which  many 
oranges  still  remained.  The  distinguished  lady 
was  not  at  home,  and  we  did  not  see  her, 


192  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

We  walked  to  the  end  of  the  bridge,  looking  at 
the  pretty  dwellings  on  the  shore,  and  then  went 
upon  the  land,  where  we  had  quite  a  ramble.  But 
an  hour  enabled  us  to  see  all  there  was  of  the  place, 
and  we  embarked  for  the  return.  Before  five 
o'clock  we  were  in  sight  of  Jacksonville.  The 
pilot  ran  the  boat  as  near  the  shore  as  it  was  safe 
to  go,  and  the  barge  I  had  engaged  to  be  present 
transported  the  party  to  the  shore.  Mrs.  Mitchell's 
house  looked  very  pleasant  from  the  outside  ;  but 
we  were  principally  interested  in  the  garden  and 
orange  grove.  It  was  said  that  over  five  thousand 
oranges  had  been  gathered  from  one  of  the  trees 
we  saw.  We  examined  a  great  variety  of  semi- 
tropical  trees  and  shrubs,  such  as  lemon,  banana, 
grape-fruit,  and  others  I  cannot  remember. 

The  party  dined  on  the  river,  and  landed  at  the 
market  at  six. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  193 


M1 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    ADVENTURES    OF    AN    INVALID. 

R.  CORNWOOD  had  been  very  polite  and 
pliable  all  day,  and  his  skill  as  a  pilot  won 
my  commendation.  When  he  expressed  a  desire 
to  remain  on  shore,  at  the  wharf,  I  did  not  object. 
As  soon  as  the  anchor  was  let  go,  all  hands  were 
piped  to  supper  ;  but  I  was  in  no  condition  to  take 
another  meal  that  day,  after  the  dinner  with  the 
excursionists,  from  which  I  had  risen  an  hour 
before.  I  was  glad  to  be  alone  in  my  state-room, 
after  the  excitement  of  the  day.  In  spite  of  what 
had  transpired  in  the  morning,  and  in  spite  of  the 
evidence  obtained  by  Washburn  in  regard  to  the 
snake,  I  could  not  help  wondering  if,  after  all,  the 
pilot  was  not  innocent  of  any  evil  intentions. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  a  man  of  his  education, 
having  a"  profession,  could  not  take  part  in  any 
small  conspiracy,  such  as  Captain  Boomsby  would 
be  likely  to  get  up.  If  either  Cornwood  or  Griffin 
Leeds,  his  agent,  intended  to  do  me  any  harm,  it 
13 


194  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

seemed  to  me  they  had  had  abundant  opportunity 
to  do  it  already.  The  pilot  might  have  wrecked 
the  vessel,  and  the  waiter  might  have  poisoned  the 
food  I  ate.  I  resolved  to  be  very  careful  how  I 
charged  Cornwood  with  any  evil,  unless  it  was 
capable  of  being  proved. 

"  I  should  like  to  go  on  shore,  Alick,  if  you  have 
nothing  better  for  me  to  do,"  said  Washburn, 
coming  into  my  room  when  he  had  finished  his 
supper. 

"I  have  nothing  for  you  to  do,"  I  replied. 
"What's  up  now?" 

"  I  have  some  curiosity  to  know  what  has  be 
come  of  Cobbington  ;  and  I  think  I  shall  call  upon 
his  landlord,"  replied  the  mate,  laughing. 

"  I  will  go  with  you,  if  you  have  no  objection," 
I  added. 

"  I  should  be  glad  of  your  company,"  said  he, 
leading  the  way  to  the  gangway.  "Hold  on  a 
minute,  captain, "he  added,  when  I  began  to  order 
my  boat.  "  There  is  the  boatman  that  carried  off 
Cornwood's  letter.  He  is  looking  for  a  job  :  sup 
pose  Ave  give  him  one  ?  " 

I  did  not  object,  and  the  mate  hailed  the  boat 
man.  We  seated  ourselves  in  his  boat,  and  he 
pulled  for  the  shore.  Our  uniforms  gave  us  great 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  195 

distinction  among  the  colored  people.  Very  likely 
some  of  them  thought  we  were  United  States  naval 
officers :  at  any  rate,  they  all  treated  us  with 
"  distinguished  consideration." 

"What's  your  name,  boatman?"  asked  Wash- 
burn. 

"  Moses  Dripple,"  replied  the  man. 

"Well,  Moses  Dripple,  were  you  alongside  our 
steamer  last  evening?"  continued  the  mate. 

"Yes,  sar;  made  a  quarter  taking  a  letter 
ashore,"  answered  Moses,  showing  teeth  enough 
for  a  full-grown  alligator. 

"Put  it  in  the  post-office,  did  you?"  inquired 
Wrashburn,  indifferently,  as  he  looked  behind  him 
at  the  steamer. 

"  No,  sar ;  didn't  put  it  into  the  post-office ; 
car'ed  it  to  a  saloon-keeper,  and  he  gave  me  a 
drink  of  apple-jack,  as  soon  as  he  had  read  it,  for 
bringin'  de  letter." 

"  Is  it  possible  that  you  drink  apple-jack  ?  "  asked 
the  mate,  with  some  observations  on  the  folly  of 
drinking  liquor. 

"Drink  it  when  I  git  it,  sar." 

"  Where  did  you  get  your  apple-jack  ?  " 

"At  de  saloon  ;  where  else  would  I  get  it,  sar ?  " 

"I  suppose  it  made  you  so  boozy  you  don't 


196  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

know  where  the  saloon  was,"  added  the  mate, 
keeping  up  his  indifference,  as  though  his  talk  was 
mere  banter. 

"  It  was  de  new  saloon,  sar ;  not  boozy  at  all, 
sar  ;  Captain  Boomsby  keeps  dat  saloon.  Mighty 
mean  man,  Captain  Boomsby.  As  soon  as  he  done 
read  de  letter,  he  put  on  his  coat,  and  left  de 
saloon." 

That  was  all  that  Washburn  cared  to  know — 
that  the  letter  from  Cornwood  had  gone  to  Captain 
Boomsby  ;  and  he  bestowed  a  look  of  triumph  upon 
me.  I  paid  the  boatman  a  quarter,  and  wre  walked 
up  to  Bay  Street.  We  had  hardly  turned  the 
corner  before  we  came  plump  upon  a  man  who 
seemed  to  be  very  anxious  to  meet  my  friend  and 
companion.  I  had  never  seen  him  before. 

"Mr.  Cobbington,  this  is  Captain  Garningham,  of 
the  steamer  Sylvania,"  said  Washburn,  chuckling. 

"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Cobbington,"  I  replied. 

"  How  are  you,  captain  :  I'm  glad  to  see  both  of 
you,"  replied  Cobbington.  "  One  of  you  has  got 
me  into  a  bad  scrape,  for  this  morning,  Gavett, 
the  man  I  boarded  with,  turned  me  out  of  his 
house  because  I  had  a  moccasin  snake  in  a  box  in 
my  room." 

"  Rough  on  you,  was  he  ?  "  added  the  mate. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  197 

"  Mighty  rough !  I  have  been  looking  for  an 
other  room  all  day,  and  I  can't  get  one.  I've  got 
to  sleep  out-doors  to-night,"  replied  Cobbington, 
with  a  very  long  face. 

"  You  shouldn't  keep  poisonous  snakes  in  your 
room,"  I  added. 

"He  never  would  have  known  it  if  this  man 
hadn't  told  him,"  said  the  snake-man,  turning  to 
the  mate.  "  I  don't  know  your  name,  but  you  got 
me  into  a  very  bad  scrape  for  an  invalid ;  and 
that's  the  reason  why  I  am  down  in  Florida,  instead 
of  at  home  where  I  could  earn  a  decent  living," 
whined  Cobbington.  "  I  shall  die  in  a  week,  if  I 
have  to  sleep  out  in  the  night-air :  and  I  don't  know 
of  even  a  shed  to  get  under." 

"  It  was  no  more  than  right  to  tell  a  man  you 
had  a  poisonous  reptile  in  his  house,"  added  Wash- 
burn.  "  The  snake  might  have  got  out,  and  bitten 
his  wife  and  children." 

"  Early  this  morning  I  paid  Gavett  the  last  dollar 
I  had  for  the  rent  of  the  room ;  and  I  haven't  had 
a  mouthful  to  eat  since  I  had  my  breakfast.  How 
long  can  an  invalid  live,  sleeping  out-doors,  with 
nothing  to  eat?"  added  Cobbington. 

I  saw  the  tears  roll  down  the  thin  cheeks  of  the 
man,  and  my  sympathies  were  excited.  I  saw  it 
was  the  same  with  Washburn. 


198  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"  I  have  been  in  to  see  Captain  Boomsby ;  I  had 
a  room  in  his  house  for  a  while,  and  always  paid 
for  it.  He  wouldn't  let  me  sleep  on  the  floor  in 
one  of  his  empty  chambers,  nor  give  me  anything 
to  eat,"  continued  the  poor  wretch. 

"  You  shall  have  something  to  eat,  and  a  place 
to  sleep,"  I  said. 

We  went  over  the  way  to  Lyman's  restaurant 
with  him,  and  I  ordered  a  sirloin  steak  and  fried 
potatoes  for  him,  with  other  food.  When  it  came, 
he  devoured  it  like  a  starving  man.  Whatever 
other  lies  he  had  told,  it  was  the  truth  that  he  was 
very  hungry. 

"  That  is  the  best  meal  I  have  eaten  since  I  came 
into  Florida,"  said  he  with  emphasis,  when  he  had 
drained  his  coffee-cup.  "  Gentlemen,  I  am  more 
than  grateful  to  you.  I  have  struggled  hard  to 
keep  my  soul  and  body  together,  and  I've  done  it 
so  far,  though  there  isn't  much  left  of  my  body.  I 
could  live  here,  if  I  could  earn  enough  to  live  on. 
You  have  been  kind  to  me  ;  and  now  I'm  going  to 
tell  you  something :  I  have  no  moccasin-snake,  and 
I  never  had  one,  say  nothing  of  two.  I  know  I'm 
a  liar;  but  I  told  that  lie  for  a  dollar  Boomsby 
gave  me  for  telling  it,  so  that  I  need  not  be  turned 
out  of  my  room.  If  I  had  that  Judas  dollar,  I 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  199 

would  send  it  back  to  Boomsby,  and  die  with  a 
clean  conscience." 

"  It  never  pays  to  do  wrong,"  I  added,  deeply 
moved  by  the  invalid's  story. 

"  I  told  Gavett  I  had  no  snake ;  but  he  turned 
me  out,  all  the  same.  I  showed  him  everything 
I  had ;  and  he  could  find  no  box  for  the  snake  : 
only  a  lot  of  baby  alligators,  that  won't  hurt  any 
body.  I  make  a  quarter  now  and  then  by  selling 
them  to  the  children  at  the  hotels.  I  had  to  sell 
my  gun  I  used  to  shoot  alligators  with  for  their 
teeth ;  my  best  clothes  are  pawned ;  and  my  trunk 
is  about  as  empty  as  my  stomach  was  half  an  hour 
ago.  I  have  got  about  to  the  end  of  my  rope  ;  and 
I  don't  know  what  will  become  of  me." 

"  We  will  see  what  we  can  do  for  you,  Mr.  Cob- 
bington,"  I  added.  "  What  was  your  business  at 
home?" 

"  I  have  done  almost  everything.  I  was  brought 
up  on  a  farm,  and  had  a  pretty  good  education. 
My  father  and  mother  both  died,  and  my  brother 
followed  them,  all  in  consumption.  I  went  to 
teaching  school,  for  we  lost  the  farm,  and  I  had  to 
take  care  of  myself  before  I  was  twenty.  My  health 
gave  out,  and  I  tried  to  work  on  a  farm,  but  I 
wasn't  strong  enough.  Then  I  went  to  tending 


200  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

table  at  a  summer  hotel,  and  saved  about  a  hundred 
dollars.  A  man  told  me  I  should  get  well  if  I 
came  to  Florida.  I  thought  I  could  make  my 
living  here,  and  I  came.  I  brought  a  gun  with 
me,  and  went  into  the  woods.  I  shot  deer,  wild 
turkeys,  and  alligators.  I  sold  the  game  and  the 
teeth,  and  got  along  pretty  well  in  the  winter. 
Last  summer  I  spent  all  the  money  I  had  left  in 
coming  down  here.  My  health  was  pretty  good 
then.  I  sold  my  gun  for  sixty  dollars,  half  what 
it  was  worth,  and  did  jobbing  enough  to  keep  me 
alive.  I  worked  as  a  waiter  on  a  steamer,  in  place 
of  a  sick  man,  for  a  month,  and  left  the  boat  at 
Silver  Spring,  where  the  man  took  his  place.  I 
hired  a  gun,  and  tried  to  get  a  living  by  shoot 
ing  again;  but  I  couldn't  find  a  market  for  the 
game.  I  had  to  give  it  up. 

"I  had  a  lot  of  alligators'  teeth,  a  rattlesnake, 
which  a  gentleman  on  a  steamer  offered  to  give  me 
ten  dollars  for  in  Jacksonville,  and  I  worked  my 
way  down  here.  I  sold  the  teeth ;  but  the  man 
that  wanted  the  rattlesnake  was  at  St.  Augustine, 
and  I  had  to  wait  till  he  came  back,  on  his  way 
north.  Boomsby's  wife  turned  me  out  when  she 
found  she  didn't  like  me,  and  they  killed  the  snake 
at  the  St.  Johns.  I  couldn't  stay  there  any  longer 


YACHT    ADVEXTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  201 

now  I  had  lost  the  ten  dollars  for  the  snake.  My 
money  was  all  gone ;  but  I  picked  up  a  little 
selling  babies." 

"  Selling  babies  !  "  exclaimed  Washburn. 

"Baby  alligators,  I  mean,"  added  Cobbington, 
with  a  languid  smile.  "  My  health  was  good  while 
I  was  in  the  woods ;  I  don't  have  any  cough  now, 
but  I've  been  running  down  lately." 

Poor  fellow !  My  heart  was  touched  for  him. 
It  was  hard  to  grub  for  a  bare  subsistence,  with 
the  immediate  prospect  of  dying  in  the  street. 
Washburn  looked  expressively  at  me,  and  I  nodded 
to  him.  We  rose  from  the  table,  and  told  Cob 
bington  to  come  with  us.  We  took  him  to  a 
clothing-house,  fitted  him  out  with  a  new  suit, 
yacht-club  style,  with  a  white  canvas  cap  like  my 
own,  except  the  gold  band.  We  supplied  him  with 
under-clothing,  and  with  everything  he  needed, 
even  to  handkerchiefs,  socks,  and  shoes.  Having 
obtained  these,  one-half  of  the  cost  of  which  Wash- 
burn  insisted  upon  paying,  we  next  visited  a  bath 
house,  where  the  invalid  "  washed  and  was  clean." 
He  then  clothed  himself  in  the  new  clothes,  and 
came  out  of  the  bath-room  looking  like  another 
person. 

We  went  to  the  wharf,  where  we  obtained  a  boat, 


202  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

and  in  a  few  minutes  we  were  on  board.  I  for 
mally  engaged  the  man  to  take  the  place  of  Griffin 
Leeds,  as  the  waiter  at  the  mess  in  the  forward 
cabin.  He  had  served  in  this  capacity  in  an  hotel, 
and  on  steamers  on  the  St.  Johns  and  Ocklawaha 
rivers.  I  gave  him  a  berth  in  the  forward  cabin. 
I  think  he  was  happy  when  he  turned  into  it. 

On  Sunday  I  went  to  church  in  St.  James  Square, 
and  called  upon  -Owen  as  I  came  out.  Colonel 
Shepard  informed  me  that  he  had  chartered  a 
steamer  that  plied  on  the  Ocklawaha  at  times,  to 
take  us  anywhere  that  a  steamer  could  go.  She 
was  small,  but  large  enough  for  our  party. 

I  dined  with  the  family  and  their  guests,  and 
went  on  board  in  the  afternoon.  The  steward  was 
entirely  satisfied  with  the  manner  in  which  Cob- 
bington  had  discharged  his  duties,  and  the  invalid 
was  the  happiest  man  I  had  seen  in  the  Land  of 
Flowers. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  203 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DIFFICULTIES    IN    THE    WAY    OF    DEPARTURE. 

inXCEPT  in  Jacksonville,  there  was  no  market 
-L^  on  the  St.  Johns  River ;  and  Mr.  Peeks  had 
been  not  a  little  disturbed  in  relation  to  the  culi 
nary  department  of  the  Sylvania.  He  could  not 
go  on  shore  at  the  villages  on  the  river,  and  buy 
what  he  wanted ;  but  with  several  steamers  every 
day  going  up  to  Pilatka,  and  several  every  week 
going  up  the  Ocklawaha,  I  assured  him  he  would 
have  no  difficulty  about  feeding  his  passengers. 
He  made  an  arrangement  with  the  keeper  of  the 
stall  where  he  had  obtained  his  best  meats  to  for 
ward  to  him,  on  his  order,  such  supplies  as  would 
be  needed,  including  ice,  which  was  a  prime  neces 
sity,  not  so  much  to  preserve  the  meats  as  to  cool 
the  water,  and  put  various  articles  in  condition  for 
the  table. 

In  spite  of  the  general  belief  in  the  dampness  of 
a  Florida  atmosphere,  I  learned  that  meats  would 
keep  longer  than  in  Michigan.  There  are  no  cellars 


204  DOWX  SOUTH;   OR, 

in  Florida,  and  the  dwelling-houses  are  usually  set 
on  posts  planted  in  the  ground.  Meats  are  hung 
up  in  a  shady  place,  where  they  will  keep  for  a 
week  or  more ;  and  even  then  they  are  dried  up, 
instead  of  being  tainted  or  putrefied.  The  stew 
ard  had  filled  the  ice-house  with  the  best  beef, 
mutton,  and  poultry  he  could  find,  most  of  which 
came  from  New  York,  though  some  of  the  Southern 
markets  are  supplied  with  beef  from  Tennessee 
and  Kentucky.  Most  of  the  cattle  of  Florida 
range  through  the  woods  and  pick  up  their  living, 
so  that  they  are  not  properly  fatted  for  the  market, 
and  look  like  "Pharaoh's  lean  kine." 

No  particular  hour  had  been  fixed  upon  for 
starting  on  the  up-river  trip,  but  the  passengers 
came  on  board  at  ten  in  the  forenoon.  At  this 
time  steam  was  up  in  the  boilers,  and  everything 
ready  for  an  immediate  departure.  But  Mr.  Corn- 
wood  had  not  put  in  an  appearance.  I  had  not 
seen  him  since  he  went  on  shore  at  the  wharf,  on 
Saturday  evening.  I  was  not  much  annoyed,  for 
I  knew  where  I  could  get  a  pilot  at  fifteen  minutes' 
notice. 

Chloe,  Griffin  Leeds's  wife,  had  come  off  with 
the  ladies.  She  remained  perfectly  neutral,  though 
she  knew  all  about  the  troubles  with  her  husband. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    EN    FLORIDA.  205 

I  looked  at  her  with  some  interest  when  she  came 
on  deck ;  but  she  seemed  to  be  as  cheerful  and 
pleasant  as  ever.  If  she  had  said  anything  to  the 
ladies  about  Griffin,  nothing  had  come  to  me.  As 
her  husband  was  not  to  be  on  board,  I  told  the 
steward  to  give  her  one  of  the  after-berths  in  the 
cabin.  She  was  so  polite,  attentive,  and  kind,  so 
wholly  devoted  to  her  duties,  that  the  ladies  had 
become  very  much  attached  to  her,  treating  her 
more  like  a  friend  than  a  servant. 

Chloe  was  not  more  than  twenty-two  years  old. 
She  had  been  a  stewardess  on  a  Charleston  steamer, 
running  up  to  Pilatka,  at  the  time  of  her  marriage 
to  Griffin  Leeds,  who  was  second  waiter  in  the 
same  boat.  She  was  entirely  familiar  with  her 
duties,  and  when  they  were  reduced  to  attendance 
upon  three  ladies,  she  discharged  them  with  the 
most  punctilious  care. 

"  What  are  we  waiting  for,  Alick  ?  "  asked  Wash- 
burn,  as  I  seated  myself  in  the  pilot-house  when 
all  the  preparations  for  our  departure  were  com 
pleted,  and  I  could  think  of  nothing  more  to  be 
done,  though  I  had  left  the  port  boat  in  the  water 
in  case  it  became  necessary  to  go  on  shore  for  a 
pilot. 

"  Cornwood  has  not  come  off  yet,"  I  replied. 


206  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

"Where  is  he?" 

"  I  have  no  idea." 

"  Does  he  intend  to  play  us  a  trick,  and  leave  us 
in  the  lurch,  now  that  we  are  all  ready  for  a  start  ?" 
asked  the  mate,  with  some  anxiety  on  his  face. 

"  I  don't  know,  and  I  don't  much  care,"  I  re 
plied.  "  I  don't  know  that  I  ought  to  blame  him 
much,  since  no  fixed  hour  was  named  for  starting." 

"  He  ought  to  be  on  board  like  the  rest  of  us,  so 
that  whenever  his  services  are  required  he  may  be 
ready  to  do  his  work,"  added  Washburn,  impa 
tiently.  "  You  say  you  don't  much  care  whether 
or  not  he  intends  to  play  us  a  trick  and  leave  us  in 
the  lurch.  How  are  you  to  get  on  without  a  pilot  ?" 

"  I  can  have  one  on  board  in  half  an  hour  at  the 
most.  There  are  plenty  of  them,  and  I  find  they 
are  glad  to  serve  in  such  a  nobby  craft  as  the 
Sylvania,  where  they  have  easy  work  and  the  best 
of  grub,"  I  replied. 

"There  comes  a  boat.  I  see  the  Panama  hat 
and  light  clothes  in  it,"  added  Washburn,  evidently 
relieved,  for  he  was  impatient  for  the  voyage  to 
begin. 

In  a  minute  more  the  pilot  was  on  the  deck  of 
the  steamer. 

"  I  hope  I  have  not  delayed  you,"  said  he,  when 
he  saw  that  we  were  all  ready  to  leave. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  207 

"  Not  long,"  I  replied,  wishing  to  make  things 
as  pleasant  as  possible  with  him  for  the  trip  of 
three  weeks. 

"  I  did  not  know  at  what  hour  you  intended  to 
leave,  or  I  should  have  been  on  board  before," 
pleaded  Corn  wood.  "  I  have  been  very  busy  with 
some  legal  business  this  morning." 

"  If  you  are  all  ready,  we  will  be  off  at  once," 
I  continued. 

I  hastened  to  the  pilot-house,  expecting  him  to 
follow  me ;  but  instead  of  doing  so,  he  passed 
through  the  engine-room,  and  disappeared  on  the 
other  side  of  the  vessel.  I  concluded  he  had  gone 
below  for  another  coat  he  wore  when  at  the  wheel. 
I  went  into  the  pilot-house,  thinking  he  would  ap 
pear  in  a  moment.  The  anchor  was  hove  up  to  a 
short  stay ;  but  the  wind  was  blowing  quite  fresh 
from  the  south-west,  and  I  did  not  care  to  get 
under  way  in  his  absence  from  the  wheel.  I  waited 
ten  minutes ;  and  then  my  patience  began  to  give 
out.  I  left  the  pilot-house,  with  the  intention  of 
sending  below  for  the  pilot,  when  I  was  informed 
that  a  boat  had  just  come  alongside. 

It  contained  Captain  Boomsby  and  Griffin  Leeds. 

Though  I  had  tried  to  make  myself  proof 
against  harboring  any  suspicions,  I  thought  the 


208  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

long  delay  of  Cornwood  was  explained.  He  had 
been  very  busy  with  legal  business  that  morning. 
Did  it  relate  to  the  affairs  of  Griffin  Leeds  and  my 
ancient  enemy? 

"Allow  no  one  to  come  on  board,"  I  said  to  the 
mate,  who  had  told  me  of  the  coming  of  the  boat, 
and  who  were  in  it. 

I  went  aft.  The  gangway  steps  had  been  taken 
in-board,  and  stowed  away  after  Cornwood  came. 
Captain  Boomsby  was  rather  more  than  half  full 
of  whiskey.  I  found  there  was  a  third  person  in 
the  boat,  who  proved  to  be  an  officer.  He  had 
come  to  attach  the  steamer  on  the  suit  of  Captain 
Boomsby,  to  obtain  possession  of  her  on  his  old 
claim,  and  to  trustee  Owen  Garningham  for  any 
money  that  might  be  due  to  me.  I  allowed  the 
officer  to  come  on  deck.  He  was  a  very  gentle 
manly  man,  and  had  applied  to  Colonel  Ives  when 
the  writ  was  given  to  him.  The  colonel  had  filled 
out  a  bond  as  surety  for  the  defendant,  to  be  signed 
by  Colonel  Shepard ;  and  that  gentleman  at  once 
put  his  autograph  on  the  document. 

The  officer  was  entirely  satisfied,  and  was  about 
to  take  his  departure  when  Cornwood  appeared ; 
but  he  offered  no  objection,  and  the  writ  had  not 
come  from  his  office.  Captain  Boomsby  was  in  a 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  209 

violent  passion  when  he  learned  that  the  steamer 
was  to  be  allowed  to  proceed  on  her  voyage  up  the 
river.  He  swore  at  the  officer,  and  declared  that 
he  had  not  done  his  duty.  The  steamer  belonged 
to  him,  and  he  insisted  on  coming  on  board. 

"I  came  off  for  my  wife,"  said  Griffin  Leeds. 
"I  want  her  to  go  on  shore  with  me." 

This  demand  seemed  to  me  a  more  serious  com 
plication  than  that  of  Captain  Boomsby's  ridiculous 
suit.  I  did  not  know  much  about  law,  but  I  had 
an  idea  that  a  man  had  a  right  to  his  own  wife. 
Colonel  Shepard  was  a  lawyer,  though  he  did  not 
practise  his  profession,  and  I  was  entirely  willing 
to  leave  this  matter  to  him,  for  he  was  more  inter 
ested  in  it  than  any  other  person,  as  his  wife  was 
an  invalid,  and  needed  Chloe's  attentions  more  than 
the  other  ladies. 

"Don't  let  her  go,"  said  the  Colonel;  and  so 
said  all  the  ladies. 

"  You  can't  separate  man  and  wife,"  said  Corn- 
wood. 

"  We  don't  propose  to  separate  man  and  wife," 
replied  Colonel  Shepard,  before  I  had  tune  to  say 
anything.  "If  his  wife  wants  to  go,  she  is  at 
perfect  liberty  to  do  so.  Ask  Chloe  to  come  on 
deck,"  he  added,  turning  to  the  steward. 
14 


210  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

The  stewardess  appeared  a  minute  later. 

"  Here,  Chloe,  I  want  you  to  come  on  shore  with 
me,"  shouted  Griffin  Leeds,  when  he  saw  his  wife. 
"  I  have  got  a  room  all  furnished  for  you,  and  I've 
got  a  situation  as  second  waiter  at  a  hotel." 

"  No,  I  thank  you  !  "  replied  Chloe,  pertly.  "  I'm 
going  to  stay  where  I  am." 

I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  hear  her  make  this 
answer,  for  I  supposed  she  would  follow  the  for 
tunes  of  her  husband,  whatever  they  were.  I  knew 
nothing  in  regard  to  their  marital  relations,  whether 
they  were  pleasant  or  otherwise,  though  I  had 
never  seen  anything  to  lead  me  to  suppose  they 
were  unpleasant. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  with  me ;  you  are  my 
wife  and  you  must  come  ! "  said  Griffin,  angrily. 
"I  forbid  your  going  in  this  steamer." 

"  You  can  forbid  all  day  if  you  like  ;  I'm  going 
in  the  steamer  !  "  answered  Chloe,  very  decidedly. 
"  I  don't  go  with  you  any  more,  if  I  can  help  it." 

"  You  are  my  wife,  and  you  can't  help  it,"  re 
torted  the  husband. 

"  I  haven't  got  anything  more  to  say  about  it.* 
I  won't  go  with  you ;  and  that's  the  whole  of  it," 
said  the  stewardess,  retreating  to  the  cabin. 

Griffin  Leeds  swore  like  a  pirate,  and  declared 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  211 

he  would  be  the  death  of  his  wife  if  she  didn't  come 
with  him.  He  called  upon  the  officer*  to  arrest 
Chloe,  and  compel  her  to  go  on  shore  with  him. 

"  Give  me  a  proper  warrant,  and  I  will  arrest 
her,"  replied  the  officer,  laughing. 

"  1  am  her  husband  ;  and  1  tell  you  to  take  her 
out  of  that  steamer,"  cried  Griffin,  foaming  with 
wrath. 

"  I  don't  know  that  you  are  her  husband ;  and  if 
I  did,  I  would  not  meddle  with  her,"  replied  the 
officer,  who  seemed  to  enjoy  the  situation.  "  Our 
business  is  finished  on  board  of  this  craft :  "  and  he 
returned  to  the  boat. 

"  This  seems  to  be  rather  a  hard  case,"  inter 
posed  Cornwood.  "I  don't  think  we  have  any 
right  to  separate  man  and  wife." 

"  The  woman  is  a  free  citizen  of  Florida,"  added 
the  officer ;  "  and  she  can  go  where  she  pleases 
without  any  restraint." 

"  So  far  as  the  legal  question  is  concerned,  I 
suppose  the  woman  cannot  be  put  under  any  re 
straint,"  said  Cornwood  ;  "  but  the  idea  of  carrying 
off  the  woman  against  the  protest  of  her  husband, 
is  not,  morally,  the  right  thing  to  do.  I  think  you 
had  better  discharge  the  woman,  and  then  you  will 
be  free  from  the  possibility  of  blame." 


212  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  I  don't  propose  to  meddle  with  the  matter  in 
any  way,"  I  replied  promptly.  "  I  don't  know  but 
you  have  a  wife.  If  she  should  come  here  and 
protest  against  my  carrying  you  off  up  the  river, 
I  don't  think  I  should  pay  any  attention  to  her." 

"  That's  another  question,"  replied  Cornwood, 
smartly. 

"  I  don't  think  it  is  :  what  is  sauce  for  goose  is 
sauce  for  gander.  You  will  take  the  wheel,  Mr. 
Cornwood.  Forward,  there !  Heave  up  the 
anchor." 

As  soon  as  the  anchor  was  atrip,  I  rang  the  bell 
to  go  ahead. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  213 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

A   VISIT   TO    ORANGE   PARK. 

f^ORNWOOD  was  slow  to  move,  after  I  di- 
\J  rected  him  to  take  the  wheel.  I  saw  that  he 
was  not  yet  in  the  pilot-house,  when  I  rang  the 
bell  to  go  ahead.  I  directed  the  mate  with  Ben 
and  Landy  to  prevent  any  of  the  party  in  the  boat 
from  coming  on  board,  and  hastened  to  the  pilot 
house.  But  before  I  reached  the  door  Cornwood 
was  at  the  wheel.  He  threw  it  over,  and  met  the 
boat  with  the  helm  when  she  began  to  make  head 
way.  I  was  not  quite  sure  that  he  did  not  intend 
to  rebel ;  but  I  was  ready  to  send  him  ashore  the 
instant  he  did  so  in  word  or  deed.  My  suspi 
cions  began  to  gather  weight  again.  He  had  evi 
dently  delayed  the  steamer  until  the  arrival  of  the 
boat  containing  Captain  Boomsby  and  the  husband 
of  the  stewardess. 

I  could  easily  fancy  that  the  pilot  was  at  the 
bottom  of  all  the  proceedings  to  delay  or  prevent 
the  departure  of  the  boat.  The  attachment  was 


214  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

to  prevent  her  going  at  all ;  the  claim  for  the 
stewardess  was  to  help  along  the  matter.  It 
seemed  to  me  that  some  heavy  reward  had  been 
promised  to  Corn  wood  for  his  services,  or  he 
would  not  endanger  the  liberal  wages  he  was  paid 
for  his  services  on  board  of  the  Sylvania.  But  I 
knew  nothing  about  the  matter,  and  it  was  useless 
to  conjecture  what  he  was  driving  at. 

The  steamer  was  headed  up  the  river,  and  we 
had  actually  begun  our  long-talked-of  trip.  Corn- 
wood  steered  the  boat  as  well  as  usual,  but  he  was 
moody  and  silent.  If  he  was  ugly  and  bent  on 
mischief,  the  worst  he  could  do,  as  I  understood 
the  matter,  was  to  run  the  steamer  aground.  This 
would  not  be  a  very  serious  calamity,  and  could 
involve  no  worse  consequences  than  a  loss  of  time. 
I  was  not  alarmed  at  anything  he  might  do  while 
we  were  sailing  up  the  river.  I  seated  myself  at 
the  side  of  the  wheel,  and  allowed  things  to  take 
their  course,  as,  in  New  Jersey,  when  it  rains, 
they  let  it  rain.  But  if  Cornwood  was  angry,  he 
cooled  off  in  the  course  of  half  an  hour,  and  re 
marked  that  it  was  a  delightful  day  for  the  start. 
I  was  not  obstinate  on  this  point,  and  I  agreed 
with  him. 

"  I  don't  think  you  treated  me  quite  fairly,  Cap- 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  215 

tain  Garningham,  in  the  affairs  of  poor  Griff  and 
his  wife,"  said  he,  when  the  steamer  was  off  Mul 
berry  Grove. 

"  Didn't  treat  you  fairly  !  "  I  exclaimed,  aston 
ished  at  this  new  phase  of  the  argument.  "  Do  I 
treat  you  unfairly  because  I  won't  have  a  man  with 
murder  in  his  heart  on  board?  Do  I  treat  you 
unfairly  because  his  wife  refuses  to  leave  her 
place?" 

"  I  have  told  you  the  reason  why  I  am  inter 
ested  in  the  man ;  I  am  under  obligations  to  him," 
added  Cornwood. 

"  I  have  no  objection  to  your  being  interested  in 
him  to  the  last  day  of  his  life  ;  but  I  am  not  suffi 
ciently  interested  in  him  to  have  a  man  who  draws 
a  knife  on  another  in  this  vessel,"  I  answered. 
"I  am  not  under  obligations  to  him." 

"  I  have  done  the  best  I  can  to  serve  you,  and  I 
thought  a  friend  of  mine  might  be  entitled  to  some 
consideration,"  continued  Cornwood,  with  an  in 
jured  innocence  of  tone  and  manner. 

"  Your  influence  procured  for  him  and  his  wife 
places  on  board ;  and  Griffin  might  have  retained 
his  position,  if  he  had  behaved  half  as  well  as  his 
wife  has.''  . 

"  Poor  Griff  lay  down  on  the  deck  to  take  a 
nap  —  " 


216  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

"  I  don't  care  to  hear  that  argument  over  again. 
I  could  have  passed  over  the  scuffle,  if  he  had  not 
drawn  his  knife  when  there  was  nothing  to  pro 
voke  him,"  I  interposed. 

"  The  assistant  engineer  did  not  tell  the  truth 
when  he  said  he  did  not  lay  the  weight  of  his  hand 
on  him,"  protested  Cornwood. 

"  I  believe  he  did.  I  don't  believe  Griffin  was 
asleep.  He  lay  down  with  his  ear  to  the  skylight 
of  the  captain's  room  in  order  to  hear  what  passed 
between  me  and  the  mate.  This  is  the  second 
time  Griffin  was  caught  in  the  act  of  listening. 
More  than  this,  the  assistant  engineer  was  on  the 
watch,  by  my  order,  for  eavesdroppers,  as  will 
appear  at  the  trial,"  I  replied,  with  energy. 

"  By  your  orders  ?  "  exclaimed  Cornwood. 

"By  my  orders.  Both  the  engineer  and  the 
assistant  were  asked  to  do  this  duty,  because 
Griffin  was  seen  before,  skulking  where  he  had  no 
business  to  be." 

"  The  mate  assaulted  poor  Griff  the  other  day," 
added  the  pilot. 

"  He  caught  him  listening  under  the  windows  of 
our  room,  and  took  him  by  the  collar  for  it,  if 
that  is  what  you  mean  by  assaulting  him." 

"  He  had  no  right  to  take  him  by  the  collar." 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  217 

"  I  will  grant  that  he  had  not ;  but  when  one  is 
in  the  midst  of  eavesdroppers,  his  indignation  may 
2fet  the  better  of  his  judgment,"  I  replied. 

"  That  was  just  the  case  with  poor  Griff ;  but  he 
is  a  poor  man,  and  not  the  son  of  an  ex-governor ; 
and  he  is  persecuted  to  the  full  penalty  of  the  law 
for  it,"  growled  Corn  wood. 

"  I  think  there  is  some  difference  in  the  cases. 
Griffin  was  skulking  about,  trying  to  listen  to 
conversation  which  did  not  concern  him.  If  he 
wants  to  take  a  nap,  he  lies  down  with  his  ear  to 
an  open  skylight.  Mr.  Washburn  is  charged  with 
the  discipline  of  the  vessel ;  and  when  your  friend 
attempted  to  escape  from  the  place  where  he  was 
caught,  the  mate  took  him  by  the  collar.  Griffin, 
or  you,  as  his  counsel,  might  have  prosecuted  him 
for  the  assault,  if  you  had  thought  proper  to  do 
so,"  I  answered. 

"I  am  sorry  I  did  not  do  so,  after  what  has 
happened  since." 

"I  am  sorry  you  did  not,  for  it  would  have 
brought  to  light  some  things  which  have  not  yet 
been  ventilated." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that,  captain?"  de 
manded  the  pilot,  looking  furtively  into  my  face. 

**  It  is  not  necessary  to  explain  matters  that  have 


218  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

not  yet  been  brought  into  the  case,"  I  replied 
coldly.  "  I  think  we  had  better  drop  the  subject, 
and  not  allude  to  it  again.  As  a  guide  and  pilot, 
I  am  entirely  satisfied  with  you.  Griffin  Leeds  has 
been  discharged  ;  and  he  cannot  be  employed  again 
under  any  circumstances  on  this  vessel.  I  won't 
have  a  man  about  who  is  skulking  under  windows, 
listening  to  what  don't  concern  him,  or  a  man  who 
will  draw  a  knife  on  another." 

"  The  steward  wants  to  know  at  what  hour  he 
shall  serve  dinner  in  the  cabin  to-day?"  asked 
Cobbington,  poking  his  head  into  the  pilot-house 
at  this  moment. 

For  some  reason  not  apparent  to  me,  the  pilot 
was  so  startled  at  the  sound  of  the  new  waiter's 
voice  that  he  let  go  the  wheel,  as  he  was  swinging 
the  boat  around  at  a  bend  of  the  river.  The  wheel 
flew  over  with  force  enough  to  knock  a  man  down 
if  it  had  hit  him.  I  immediately  grasped  the 
spokes,  and  began  to  heave  it  over  again. 

"No  harm  done;  my  hand  slipped,"  said  the 
pilot. 

"  Good  morning,  Mr.  Cornwood,"  added  the  new 
waiter,  with  a  broad  grin  on  his  face.  "  I  didn't 
know  you  were  the  pilot  of  this  steamer.  I  hope 
you  are  very  well," 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  219 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Corn  wood,  with  an 
utterly  disgusted  expression  on  his  face,  as  he 
continued  to  throw  the  wheel  over. 

"  I  think  the  passengers  will  not  dine  on  board 
to-day,"  I  replied  to  the  question  of  the  waiter. 
"But  I  will  let  the  steward  know  in  season." 

The  forward-cabin  steward  retired.  It  was  evi 
dent  that  Cornwood  had  not  seen  him  on  board 
before,  and  that  he  was  not  at  all  pleased  to  have 
him  as  a  fellow-voyager  on  the  river.  Cobbington 
looked  as  though  he  had  gained  twenty  pounds 
in  flesh  since  he  came  on  board  on  Saturday  night. 
In  his  new  clothes  he  presented  a  very  neat  appear 
ance  ;  and  he  had  done  his  duty  faithfully.  He 
was  so  familiar  with  his  work,  that  he  required 
scarcely  any  instruction.  All  hands  were  greatly 
interested  in  his  accounts  of  forest  life  in  Florida, 
and  he  appeared  to  be  a  general  favorite.  By 
Monday  morning,  he  was  generally  called  the 
"sportsman." 

"  Is  that  man  employed  on  board  ?  "  asked  Corn- 
wood,  soon  after  Cobbington  took  his  head  out  of 
the  door. 

"  He  is ;  he  takes  the  place  of  Griffin  Leeds,"  I 
replied. 

"  How  long  has  he  been  on  board  ?  " 


220  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"  He  came  on  Saturday  night." 

"He  is  a  good-for-nothing  vagabond  ! "  exclaimed 
the  pilot. 

"  He  has  had  a  hard  time  of  it  in  Florida,  ac 
cording  to  his  own  account.  If  he  does  his  duty, 
that  is  all  I  want  of  him,"  I  added. 

"  Where  did  you  pick  him  up  ?  " 

"  He  hailed  Mr.  Washburn  in  the  street  when  I 
was  with  him,  and  we  brought  him  off  with  us. 
He  was  in  a  starving  condition,  and  Captain 
Boomsby,  at  whose  house  he  used  to  have  a  room, 
refused  to  give  him  even  a  supper.  I  believe  he 
has  been  in  the  snake  business  to  some  extent,"  I 
replied,  indifferently. 

I  knew  very  well  that  Cornwood  wished  to  know 
precisely  what  our  relations  were  with  Cobbington  ; 
but  he  was  not  so  simple  as  to  ask  any  questions 
about  them.  I  could  not  prove  that  Captain 
Boomsby  had  placed  the  moccasin  in  the  closet  of 
the  room  where  he  had  confined  me,  for  my  bene 
fit,  but  I  could  prove  that  the  explanation  of  the 
presence  of  the  snake  there  was  without  any  foun 
dation  in  truth.  Griffin  Leeds  had  discovered  by 
listening  to  the  conversation  of  the  mate  and  my 
self,  that  we  were  investigating  the  matter,  and 
had  a  clue  to  Cobbington.  Then  Cornwood  had 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  221 

sent  a  note  to  the  saloon-keeper  to  this  effect,  and 
Captain  Boomsby  had  bribed  the  invalid  with  a 
dollar  to  lie  about  the  matter. 

While  I  was  reasonably  certain  in  regard  to 
such  portions  of  the  chain  of  the  story  as  I  had 
been  compelled  to  supply,  I  could  not  prove  all  I 
believed.  On  the  other  hand,  Cornwood  was  an 
exceedingly  valuable  person  to  me  as  guide  and 
pilot,  and  I  was  unwilling  to  dispense  with  his 
services  until  he  showed  the  cloven  foot  too  pal 
pably  to  be  retained. 

The  Sylvania  was  approaching  Orange  Park,  a 
place  which  Colonel  Shepard  desired  to  visit.  A 
sign  four  hundred  feet  long,  and  fifteen  feet  high, 
the  largest  in  the  world,  indicates  the  locality.  It 
can  be  read  a  mile  off,  and  the  visitor  "  who  runs 
may  read."  Cornwood  ran  the  steamer  alongside 
the  long  pier,  and  our  passengers  landed.  Mr. 
Benedict,  the  enterprising  Rhode  Islander  who 
owns  the  vast  estate  of  nine  thousand  acres,  was 
on  the  wharf  to  welcome  them.  The  place  had 
formerly  been  an  immense  sugar  plantation ;  but 
the  present  owner  had  cut  it  up  into  small  farms 
and  town  lots,  and  considerable  progress  had  been 
made  in  peopling  it  with  residents  from  the  North. 

The  bluffs  were  thirty  feet  high  on  the  river,  and 


222  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

the  highest  elevation  was  seventy  feet,  about  the 
highest  on  the  St.  Johns.  Quite  a  number  of 
dwelling-houses  had  been  erected,  including  a 
hotel,  and  the  place  had  a  store,  a  school,  and  a 
Lall  for  religious  services.  Several  thousand 
orange-trees  had  been  set  out,  and  were  in  a 
thrifty  condition.  They  set  out  stumps  of  sour 
orange-trees,  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  graft 
into  them  two  shoots,  a  few  inches  above  the 
ground.  These  had  grown  two  or  three  feet  in  a 
single  year,  and  in  five  or  six  years  they  would  be 
in  bearing  condition.  Young  trees,  five  or  six 
feet  high,  are  also  set  out.  If  the  orange  grower 
is  successful,  the  crop  is  exceedingly  profitable. 

Lots  of  from  one  to  twenty  acres  were  sold  at 
from  one  to  thirteen  hundred  dollars,  as  they  were 
nearer  or  farther  from  the  river.  A  house  that 
would  answer  the  purpose  of  a  settler  could  be 
built  for  one  hundred  and  thirty  dollars,  and  a 
comfortable  cottage  for  five  hundred  dollars. 

We  walked  up  to  the  hotel,  and  dined  with  the 
proprietor. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES   IN   FLORIDA.  223 


CHAPTEE  XXII. 

FISHING   IN   DOCTOR'S   LAKE. 

A  FTER  a  very  good  dinner,  we  were  invited 
.IX  to  take  a  ride  in  an  Orange  Park  carriage. 
The  vehicle  was  a  platform  wagon,  with  stakes, 
such  as  is  called  a  "  hay  rigging  "  in  some  parts 
of  the  North,  drawn  by  a  pair  of  mules.  I  found 
that  a  mule  in  this  locality  cost  more  than  a  house 
for  the  ordinary  settler.  On  the  platform  were 
placed  chairs  enough  to  seat  all  the  party,  includ 
ing  Cornwood,  Washburn,  and  myself.  The  pro 
prietor  was  the  driver,  and  as  we  proceeded  on 
the  excursion,  he  explained  everything  of  interest. 
He  drove  to  an  old  orange-tree  that  had  borne  four 
thousand  oranges  that  year.  Near  it  was  a  tan 
gled  grove  of  fig-trees,  the  first  I  had  ever  seen. 

From  this  point  we  struck  into  the  woods.  We 
crossed  a  clear  brook  which  was  never  dry ;  and 
Miss  Margie  asked  if  there  were  any  snakes  on 
the  place.  Mr.  Benedict  thought  there  might  be, 
though  he  had  never  seen  any. 


224  DOWN  SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  Oh,  isn't  that  magnificent !  Perfectly  lovely  ! " 
cried  Miss  Edith  in  ecstasies. 

"  Beautiful !  "  added  Miss  Margie.  "  Did  you 
ever  see  anything  like  it?" 

I  had  not,  for  one.  The  sight  which  had  called 
forth  these  enthusiastic  exclamations  was  a  perfect 
forest  of  jasmine  in  full  blossom.  The  trees  that 
grew  near  the  brook  were  of  a  young  growth,  and 
for  half  an  acre  in  extent  they  were  loaded  with 
jasmine  vines  so  thickly  covered  with  flowers  that 
the  green  leaves  could  hardly  be  seen.  The  ladies 
were  all  delighted.  Washburn  and  I  got  out,  and 
gathered  half  a  cord  or  so  of  the  vines,  thus  loaded 
with  blossoms,  and  the  wagon  was  as  fragrant  as 
a  perfume  shop. 

We  entered  a  forest  of  pines,  where  we  found 
a  house  built  by  a  couple  of  young  men  who  had 
been  several  years  in  Cuba,  and  intended  to  cul 
tivate  the  sugar-cane.  In  the  midst  of  the  woods 
we  came  to  an  old  church,  without  a  house  within 
a  mile  of  it,  and  which  had  been  three  or  four 
miles  from  any  dwelling  in  the  days  when  it  was 
used.  It  was  a  rather  large  log-house,  now  in  a 
ruinous  condition,  in  which  the  planters  and  their 
families  had  once  attended  divine  services.  Not 
far  from  it  the  proprietor  stopped  his  team,  and 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  225 

we  all  got  off  the  wagon.  We  were  conducted  to 
the  "  Roaring  Magnetic  Spring,"  which  was  one 
of  the  features  of  the  place.  Florida  is  a  great 
place  for  springs  of  various  kinds.  We  were  all 
arranged  on  a  wooden  platform  over  the  spring, 
which  was  a  tunnel-shaped  cavity  in  the  blue  sand 
of  the  earth,  about  ten  feet  deep. 

"  Now  keep  still  a  moment,"  said  Mr.  Benedict. 

We  listened,  and  the  roaring  of  the  spring  was 
easily  heard  when  the  voices  of  the  party  did  not 
drown  it. 

"  Isn't  it  beautiful ! "  exclaimed  Miss  Margie, 
as  she  bent  over  and  gazed  into  the  spring,  the 
waters  of  which,  for  six  feet  down,  were  as  clear 
as  crystal.  "  Aren't  those  sand  clouds  pretty?  " 

As  the  water  boiled  up  from  the  bottom  of  the 
spring,  it  carried  the  sand  up  in  clearly-curved 
clouds  until  their  own  gravity  caused  the  particles 
to  sink,  and  again  be  thrown  up  by  the  force  of 
the  water.  The  party  watched  this  phenomenon 
with  interest  for  some  time,  for  not  one  of  them 
had  ever  seen  anything  like  it,  with  the  exception 
of  Mr.  Cornwood. 

"  Now,  I  want  to  show  you  something  still  more 
remarkable,"  continued  the  proprietor,  as  he  pro 
duced  two  long,  narrow  strips  of  board.  "You 
15 


226  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

have  heard  the  roaring  of  the  spring,  and  now  I 
want  to  convince  you  that  it  is  magnetic." 

He  placed  the  ends  of  the  strips  at  the  bottom 
of  the  spring,  and  then  disposed  of  each  of  the 
other  ends  on  the  sides  of  Colonel  Shepard's  head. 
The  same  experiment  Avas  then  tried  upon  Mr. 
Tiffany,  and  all  the  other  members  of  the  party. 
The  roaring  seemed  to  penetrate,  and  pass  through 
one's  head.  Owen  declared  that  the  process  had 
cured  him  of  a  headache  he  had  had  all  day ;  but 
Mr.  Tiffany,  while  he  was  much  interested  in  the 
phenomenon,  was  somewhat  skeptical  in  regard  to 
the  magnetic  properties  of  the  spring. 

We  resumed  our  seats  on  the  Orange  Park  car 
riage,  and  rode  to  Doctor's  Lake.  It  Avas  said  to 
be  a  dozen  miles  long,  and  from  one  to  three  miles 
wide.  We  Avere  told  there  Avere  plenty  of  fish 
in  this  lake,  and  Ave  Avere  disposed  to  verify  the 
truth  of  the  assertion.  We  returned  to  the  hotel, 
delighted  Avith  our  driA^e,  and  Mrs.  Shepard  de 
clared  that  she  should  like  to  live  at  Orange  Park. 
Before  AVC  left,  the  Colonel  had  bargained  for  two 
lots  on  the  St.  Johns,  and  to  have  them  covered 
Avith  orange-trees.  We  started  for  the  end  of  the 

O 

pier  AA7here  the  steamer  lay,  for  the  shalloAy  Avater 
did  not  permit  a  near  approach  to  the  land. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      227 

As  we  approached  the  Sylvania,  we  heard  a 
scream  from  a  woman  on  board.  I  was  not  a  lit 
tle  startled  by  the  sound,  and  Washburn  and  I 
broke  into  a  run.  On  the  quarter-deck  we  found 
Griffin  Leeds  and  Chloe.  Her  husband  had  seized 
her  by  the  arm,  and  was  dragging  her  towards 
the  gangway.  Already  Ben  Bowman  and  the  two 
deck-hands  were  rushing  to  her  assistance,  and 
before  we  could  reach  the  scene  of  action  they  had 
grappled  with  Leeds,  and  released  Chloe. 

The  stewardess  retreated  to  the  farthest  part  of 
the  deck,  and  appeared  to  be  in  mortal  terror  of 
her  husband.  Griffin  Leeds  drew  a  knife,  —  not 
the  one  he  had  used  before,  for  that  was  in  the 
possession  of  the  city  marshal  of  Jacksonville,  — 
and  threatened  to  take  the  life  of  any  one  that  in 
terfered  with  him.  It  was  evident  that  he  had 
seen  the  party  coming  from  the  hotel,  and  had 
made  a  desperate  effort  to  secure  possession  of 
his  wife  before  we  could  defeat  his  purpose.  I 
was  afraid  some  of  the  ship's  company  would  get 
hurt  when  I  saw  the  knife.  Griffin's  wrath  seemed 
to  be  especially  kindled  against  the  assistant  engi 
neer,  on  account  of  the  affair  on  Saturday. 

"  You  white-livered  villain  !  "  said  he,  gnashing 
his  teeth,  with  a  savage  oath,  "  I  will  teach  you  to 
meddle  with  me  !  " 


228  DOWX  SOUTH  ;   OR, 

He  rushed  at  Ben,  with  the  knife  gleaming  in 
the  air ;  but  Ben,  who  was  as  cool  as  when  on 
duty  in  the  engine-room,  grasped  his  uplifted  arm 
with  the  left  hand,  while  he  placed  his  right  on  the 
throat  of  the  assassin.  Though  the  engineer  was 
no  taller  or  heavier  than  I  was,  he  was  very  ath 
letic  and  very  active.  He  did  not  move  or  make 
any  demonstration  till  the  assailant  was  within 
reach  of  him,  and  then  he  grappled  with  him. 
In  vain  Griffin  Leeds  struggled  to  release  his  hand 
from  the  grasp  of  the  engineer,  who  held  it  as 
firmly  as  though  it  had  been  screwed  up  in  the 
vise  in  the  engine-room. 

Buck  Lingley  was  not  an  instant  behind  Ben  in 
taking  prompt  action.  He  seized  the  other  hand 
of  the  furious  octoroon,  while  Hop  Tossford  laid 
both  hands  on  his  coat-collar  behind.  In  another 
instant  Griffin  Leeds  was  borne  down  upon  the 
deck.  The  young  ladies  of  our  party  began  to 
scream  and  run  up  the  pier;  and  Mrs.  Shepard 
was  so  agitated  that  her  husband  feared  for  the 
consequences. 

''  Tie   his    hands    behind    him,    and   put    him 
ashore  !  "  I  shouted. 

My  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  Ben  and 
Buck  began  to  march  the  desperate  husband  up 
the  pier. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  229 

"  There  is  no  more  danger  of  him,  ladies,"  said 
Ben,  as  he  approached  the  young  ladies. 

Miss  Margie  and  Miss  Edith  halted,  and  when 
the  men  with  their  prisoner  had  passed  them,  they 
scampered  to  the  steamer  as. fast  as  they  could 
run.  Mrs.  Shepard  was  assisted  on  board,  and 
the  danger  seemed  to  be  passed.  Chloe  was  her 
self  again,  and  flew  to  the  assistance  of  the  inva 
lid  lady.  But  Mrs.  Shepard  recovered  from  her 
agitation  in  a  few  minutes. 

"  I  say,  Alick,  how  much  more  of  this  sort  of 
thing  are  we  to  have,"  asked  Owen,  when  the  ex 
citement  had  subsided.  "Are  we  to  have  a  scene 
like  this  every  day  in  the  week  ?  " 

"  I  hope  not,"  I  replied. 

"  We  had  better  let  the  man's  wife  go  than  have 
him  following  us  in  this  sort  of  fashion.  How 
came  the  fellow  up  here,  when  we  left  him  at  Jack 
sonville  this  forenoon?" 

"  I  suppose  he  came  up  in  that  steamer","  I  an 
swered,  pointing  to  a  boat  a  couple  of  miles  up 
the  river.  "  The  hands  ought  not  to  have  let  the 
fellow  come  on  board." 

"  The  rascal  is  a  regular  butcher,  and  we  must 
all  follow  the  American  fashion  of  carrying  a  re 
volver." 


230 


DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 


"  I  see  just  how  it  was  :  we  had  to  run  in  at  the 
side  of  this  pier,  so  that  a  steamer  that  had  occa 
sion  to  stop  here  could  make  a  landing  at  the  end 
of  the  wharf." 

"  Is  that  the  reason  why  that  villain  wanted  to 
stab  somebody?"  asked  Owen,  with  a  wondering 
stare. 

"  Well,  not  exactly.  The  crew  of  the  Sylvania 
were  on  the  forecastle,  under  the  awning,  for  I 
saw  them  rushing  aft  when  I  heard  the  woman 
scream,"  I  continued. 

"  Then  it  was  because  the  crew  were  on  the  fore 
castle?"  inquired  my  cousin,  with  open  mouth. 

"When  Griffin  landed  from   that   steamer,   he 
probably  saw  Chloe  on  the  quarter-deck,  or  if  he 
did  not,  he  went  into  the  cabin  and  found  her. 
The  crew  being  forward  of  the  deck-house  did  no 
see  him.     She  refused  to  leave  the  steamer  with 
him,  and  he  undertook  to  take  her  away  by  force, 
I  explained. 

"  And  you  think  that  makes  it  all  right,  Alick  ? ' 
asked  Owen. 

"  I  think  not. 
as  Griffin's  coming  on  board,  I  should  have  set  a 
watch  to  prevent  him  from  doing  so.     I  shall  take 
this  precaution  in  future." 


If  I  had  thought  of  such  a  thing 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  231 

"  Does  that  mean  that  you  will  set  a  watch  in 
the  future?"  asked  Owen,  seriously. 

"  That  is  just  what  it  means  :  and  one  is  lucky 
when  the  dull  brain  of  a  Briton  catches  the  idea," 
I  replied. 

The  appearance  of  the  young  ladies  called  Owen 
away,  and  I  announced  to  the  passengers  that  they 
would  want  their  fishing-gear  in  the  course  of  half 
an  hour.  I  had  plenty  of  fishing-tackle  of  all 
sorts  which  I  kept  on  board ;  and  I  knew  that  all 
the  gentlemen  in  the  cabin,  unless  it  was  Mr.  Tif 
fany,  were  supplied  with  all  the  implements  for 
fishing  and  shooting.  Cornwood  had  procured  a 
supply  of  bait  while  we  were  at  dinner.  The 
fasts  were  cast  off,  and  we  backed  out  into  the 
river.  Ben  and  Buck  had  returned,  having  made 
their  prisoner  fast  to  the  railing  of  the  pier,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Mr.  Benedict,  who  said  he  would 
look  out  for  him. 

The  steamer  stopped  when  she  was  clear  of  the 
pier,  and  then  went  ahead.  The  pilot  said  he  was 
perfectly  familiar  with  the  navigation  of  Doctor's 
Lake,  having  surveyed  it  in  the  service  of  the 
State.  The  water  was  very  shallow  near  the 
shore,  where  we  had  broken  through  the  bushes 
to  its  brink ;  but  it  was  said  to  be  very  deep  in 


232 


DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 


many  parts.  I  had  read  that  the  frequent  passage 
of  steamers  over  the  waters  of  the  St.  Johns  had 
driven  the  frightened  fish  into  such  places  as  Doc 
tor's  Lake.  We  entered  its  waters,  and  steamed 
several  miles  up  the  lake.  Then  the  pilot  rang 
the  gong,  and  the  vessel  was  soon  at  rest. 

We  baited  our  hooks,  and  dropped  the  lines 
into  the  lake.  Miss  Margie  was  the  first  to  hi 
a  fish.  After  a  hard  pull  she  got  him  to  the  toj 
of  the  water.  It  was  a  catfish  weighing  twe 
pounds.  The  Colonel  and  Owen  were  disgusted. 
A  catfish  is  an  exaggerated  hornpout,  or  ' '  bull 
head."  None  but  negroes  eat  them  at  the  South. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES   IN   FLORIDA.  233 


CHAPTER 

TROLLING  FOR  BLACK  BASS. 

"  fTlHE  idea  of  fishing  for  catfish  is  absurd  ! "  ex- 
-L  claimed  Colonel  Shepard.  "  It  isn't  a  proper 
use  to  put  a  white  man  to." 

"  Don't  fish  so  deep,  then,"  suggested  Corn- 
wood.  f  The  catfish  live  on  the  bottom." 

I  was  as  much  disgusted  with  the  idea  of  catch 
ing  catfish  as  the  Colonel,  for  I  had  seen  plenty  of 
them  caught  by  the  negroes  on  the  wharves  at 
Jacksonville.  I  took  a  good-sized  spoon-hook, 
with  three  hundred  feet  of  line  attached  to  it,  just 
as  I  had  used  it  in  Lake  Superior,  and  cast  the 
hook  as  far  out  into  the  water  as  I  could.  I 
trolled  it  home,  and  obtained  quite  a  heavy  bite. 
I  tried  it  again,  and  this  time  hauled  in  a  fish  that 
would  weigh  six  pounds. 

"What's  that,  Mr.  Cornwood?"  I  asked,  as  I 
brought  the  fish  inboard. 

"That's  a  black  trout,"  replied  the  pilot. 

"  Black  trout !  "  replied  the  Colonel,  who  was  a 


234  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

great  fisherman.  "  That  isn't  a  trout  of  any  sort ! 
It  is  a  black  bass." 

"  We  call  them  black  trout  on  the  St.  Johns, 
where  they  are  very  plenty  at  some  seasons  of  the 
year,"  added  Cornwood. 

"  He  is  not  quite  like  our  black  bass  of  the  lakes 
of  the  State  of  New  York ;  his  head  is  larger," 
added  the  Colonel,  after  he  had  looked  the  fish 
over.  "  Still  he  is  a  black  bass,  and  a  big  one  too." 

"  Do  you  call  that  a  big  one  ?  "  demanded  Corn- 
wood  contemptuously. 

"  I  have  fished  a  great  deal  in  the  New  York 
lakes,  and  I  never  saw  a  black  bass  that  would 
weigh  more  than  four  pounds  and  a  half,  though 
I  have  heard  of  them  that  weighed  five." 

"  I  have  caught  them  that  would  weigh  twelve," 
added  the  pilot. 

The  Colonel  looked  at  him  as  though  he  were  a 
descendant  of  the  father  of  lies.  I  had  three 
more  spoon-hooks,  with  the  necessary  lines,  two 
of  which  I  had  bought  on  the  northern  shore  of 
Lake  Superior.  It  was  odd  to  think  of  fishing 
with  them  here  in  Florida.  I  sent  Cornwood  to 
the  pilot-house,  and  told  Moses  to  give  the  steamer 
about  four  knots  an  hour,  for  this  was  the  way  I 
used  to  do  on  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  235 

We  had  not  room  for  more  than  four  lines  at  the 
stern  for  trolling.  I  offered  one  of  them  to  Mr. 
Tiffany ;  but  he  declined,  pleading  that  he  had  no 
skill  in  this  kind  of  fishing.  The  Colonel,  Owen, 
Gus  Shepard,  and  I,  handled  the  lines.  Going  at 
four  knots,  the  screw  hardly  broke  the  water, 
though  possibly  it  astonished  the  fishes.  Our 
lines  had  hardly  run  out  their  length  before  two  of 
us  had  each  a  fish  on  his  hook.  The  Colonel  and  I 
brought  in  a  fish  apiece,  about  the  size  of  the  one 
I  had  caught  before.  Owen  and  Gus  took  their 
turn  while  we  were  getting  our  fish  off  the  hook. 
My  cousin  lost  his,  but  Gus  got  his  on  board. 
The  sport  was  quite  equal  to  blue-fishing,  which  I 
had  tried  on  the  coast  of  Maine.  In  an  hour  we 
had  twenty  of  them,  all  black  bass.  Miss  Margie 
wished  she  might  fish ;  I  told  her  to  put  on  her 
thick  gloves  and  she  might  try.  I  baited  the 
spoon-hook  with  a  live  little  fish  the  pilot  had  pro 
cured,  and  gave  her  the  line.  In  a  few  minutes 
she  was  tugging  away  at  a  fish.  He  was  unusually 
gamy,  leaping  out  of  the  water  a  dozen  times  on 
his  way  to  the  boat. 

"  I  can't  get  him  any  further,  captain ! "  cried 
she,  out  of  breath  with  her  exertions.  I  took  the 
line  from  her,  and  hauled  in  the  largest  bass  we 
luul  vet  seen. 


236  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"  It  would  be  wicked  to  catch  any  more,  for  we 
can't  use  them,"  said  the  Colonel.  "  Here,  steward, 
weigh  this  fish,  if  you  please." 

The  bass  Miss  Margie  had  caught  carried  the 
spring  scale  down  to  twelve  and  a  quarter. 

"  Where  is  Mr.  Cornwood  ?  "  demanded  Colonel 
Shepard ;  and  he  rushed  forward  to  the  pilot 
house.  "Mr.  Cornwood,  I  doubted  your  state 
ment  when  you  said  you  had  seen  a  black  trout, 
or  bass,  that  would  weigh  twelve  pounds.  I  beg 
your  pardon,  for  we  have  one  that  will  weigh 
twelve  and  a  quarter." 

"I  hope  you  will  yet  catch  a  bigger  one,  Colonel 
Shepard,"  replied  the  pilot,  delighted  to  be  vindi 
cated. 

"  Now  let  her  out,  and  run  for  Green  Cove 
Springs,"  I  interposed. 

The  deck-hands  wound  up  the  lines ;  we  were 
soon  out  of  the  lake,  and  again  headed  up  the  St. 
Johns  River.  All  the  party  were  exhilarated  by 
the  fine  sport  we  had  had  on  the  lake,  and  they 
were  devoting  themselves  to  a  particular  examina 
tion  of  the  fish.  Ben  Bowman  laid  aside  the  dig 
nity  of  his  office  as  assistant  engineer,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  dress  the  fish,  which  he  was  better  quali 
fied  to  do  than  any  other  person  on  board.  It  was 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IX  FLORIDA.      237 

about  six  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  we  finished 
fishing,  and  the  cabin  party  w£re  called  to  supper 
before  we  got  out  of  the  lake.  As  soon  as  they 
had  sufficiently  discussed  the  fish,  they  went  below. 

The  mate  relieved  Cornwood  at  the  wheel  while 
the  latter  went  to  supper,  which  was  ready  at  the 
same  hour  as  the  cabin  meal.  I  preferred  to  take 
my  supper  with  Washburn,  and  so  I  waited  till 
half  an  hour  later.  I  was  talking  with  him  about 
the  fishing,  when  Chloe  came  to  the  door  of  the 
pilot-house,  and  with  her  usual  smile  said  she 
would  like  to  see  me.  I  went  out  on  the  fore 
castle  with  her,  for  I  thought  she  had  taken  the 
particular  time  when  Cornwood  was  at  supper  to 
speak  with  me. 

"  Captain  Garningham,  I  am  willing  to  leave  the 
Sylvania  when  the  boat  gets  to  Green  Cove  Springs, 
for  I  know  that  I  am  making  a  great  deal  of  trou 
ble  on  board,"  said  she,  showing  her  pretty  white 
teeth. 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  you  had  made  any  trouble 
on  board,"  I  replied.  "It  is  your  husband  who 
has  made  all  the  trouble." 

"  Well,  it  is  on  my  account ;  and  if  I  leave  the 
Sylvania,  he  will  not  trouble  you  any  more,"  she 
added. 


238  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  I  don't  think  the  ladies  in  the  cabin  would  be 
willing  that  you  should  leave." 

"  I  am  sure  Griffin  will  be  in  Green  Cove  Springs 
to-night,  and  he  will  make  a  heap  of  trouble  there, 
as  he  has  done  to-day,"  continued  Chloe.  "  I  don't 
want  to  keep  you  in  hot  water  all  the  time  on  my 
account." 

"We  understand  the  situation  better  than  before, 
and  we  shall  have  no  further  trouble  with  Griffin. 
I  shall  have  a  hand  forward  and  another  aft  Avhen- 
ever  we  are  at  anchor,  or  at  a  wharf,  so  that  he 
can't  get  on  board  of  the  steamer,"  I  replied.  "  If 
you  don't  want  to  go  with  him,  all  you  have  to  do 
is  to  stay  on  board." 

"I  don't  want  to  go  with  him,"  said  she,  with  a 
good  deal  of  energy.  "If  I  could  have  found  a 
place  in  a  steamer  going  north,  or  anywhere  that 
would  take  me  away  from  him,  I  would  have  left 
him  a  year  ago  ;  "  and  her  bright  eyes  snapped  as 
though  she  meant  all  she  said. 

"  How  long  have  you  been  married  ?  " 

"  Two  years ;  and  I  was  very  foolish  to  have 
him.  Griffin  is  a  bad  man,"  said  she,  shaking  her 
head.  "  He  was  discharged  from  the  Charleston 
steamer  for  getting  up  a  fight,  and  drawing  a  knife 
on  the  steward.  He  beats  me  and  abuses  me,  and 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  239 

I  have  been  miserable  ever  since  I  married  him. 
I  have  often  been  afraid  of  my  life,  he  is  so  vio 
lent,  especially  when  he  has  been  drinking." 

"  Does  he  drink  hard  ?  " 

"  Only  when  he  is  ashore.  If  he  did  it  on  board 
any  steamer,  they  would  discharge  him  right  off. 
When  this  trip  in  the  Sylvania  is  done,  I  shall 
have  a  little  money,  and  then  I  shall  leave  Florida 
by  the  first  train,  if  the  ladies  will  give  me  a 
recommendation  so  that  I  can  get  a  place.  I  mean 
to  change  my  name,  and  keep  out  of  Griffin's  way 
as  long  as  I  live,  for  he  will  kill  me  if  I  live  with 
him.  I  had  no  comfort  for  a  year  till  I  came  on 
board  of  this  vessel." 

"  You  were  living  in  St.  Augustine,  were  you?" 

"  Lived  everywhere  ;  we  had  been  in  St.  Augus 
tine  two  months  when  we  engaged  on  this  steamer. 
Griffin  had  a  place  at  a  hotel,  and  was  turned  off 
for  getting  drunk,  and  fighting.  He  must  have 
been  very  bad,  or  they  would  not  have  let  him  go 
when  they  were  so  short  of  waiters.  He  wouldn't 
let  me  work  anywhere,  though  I  had  plenty  of 
chances  to  wait  on  table,  and  one  to  go  in  the  San 
Jacinto  to  Nassau.  He  was  afraid  I  should  get 
some  money  and  leave  him,  as  I  told  him  I  would 
after  he  had  whipped  and  kicked  me,  I  have  a 


240  DOWX  SOUTH  ;   OR, 

mark  on  my  shoulder  where  he  bit  me,  not  a  week 
before  we  came  on  board  of  this  vessel." 

My  sympathies  were  greatly  excited ;  but  in  a 
quarrel  between  man  and  wife,  I  had  heard  older 
people  say  no  one  should  interfere  unless  they 
came  to  blows,  and  I  said  nothing. 

"  Griffin  sailed  in  some  vessel  with  Mr.  Corn- 
wood,  I  believe,"  I  added. 

"  Never  in  this  world  !  "  protested  Chloe.  "  He 
was  born  and  raised  in  Fernandina,  as  I  was  ;  and 
I  can  tell  where  he  was  every  hour  of  his  life,  up 
to  our  marriage.  He  was  on  the  same  steamer 
with  me  three  years,  and  both  of  us  were  at  home 
up  to  that  time." 

"  Why  did  you  marry  him  if  you  knew  him  so 
well  ?  "  I  asked,  much  interested  in  her  story. 

"  Because  I  was  foolish,  and  thought  I  could 
manage  him.  Perhaps  I  could,  if  he  didn't  drink 
no  liquor." 

"  I  was  not  aware  that  he  was  a  drinking  man." 

"  If  you  had  got  near  enough  to  smell  his  breath 
to-day,  you  would  have  known  that  he  drank 
liquor.  He  never  seems  to  be  very  bad,  but 
whiskey  makes  him  ugly." 

"He  seems  to  be  a  good  friend  of  Mr.  Corn- 
wood,"  I  suggested. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  241 

"  Well,  he  ought  to  be ;  for  Mr.  Cornwood  got 
him  out  of  a  very  bad  scrape  when  he  nearly  killed 
a  man  in  Jacksonville  last  January.  I  don't  think 
much  of  Mr.  Cornwood,  neither.  I  reckon  he 
uses  Griffin  as  a  witness  when  he  -wants  one,  for 
Griffin  will  swear  to  anything." 

"Did  Mr.  Cornwood  ever  fall  overboard,  and 
Griffin  save  him?" 

"  Never  in  this  world  !  He  never  sailed  in  the 
same  vessel  with  him,  except  this  one." 

"Do  you  know  Captain  Parker  Boomsby, 
Chloe?" 

"Never  heard  of  him  before." 

"  You  had  better  go  to  the  cabin  now.  As  long 
as  you  remain  on  board,  I  will  see  that  you  are 
protected,"  I  said,  rising  from  my  stool,  for  it  was 
about  time  for  the  pilot  to  come  on  deck. 

"  Thank  you,  Captain  Gamingham.  I  have  told 
the  ladies  how  I  am  situated,  and  they  promise  to 
help  me  all  they  can,"  replied  Chloe,  as  she  tripped 
lightly  to  the  companion-way  aft. 

It  appeared  from  the  statement  of  the  stewardess 
that  Cornwood  had  been  lying  to  me  right  along 
in  regard  to  Griffin  Leeds.  He  had  no  interest  in 
him,  except  to  have  him  on  board  to  act  as  a  spy 
and  listener  upon  me.  But  in  spite  of  this  fact  — 
16 


242  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

and  I  had  no  doubt  it  was  a  fact — Corn  wood  was 
an  exceedingly  useful  person  on  board  of  the 
Sylvania.  I  could  not  believe  that  he  had  been 
acting  as  a  guide  for  parties,  though  it  was  plain 
that  he  was  entirely  familiar  with  the  State  of 
•  Florida. 

The  pilot  took  his  place  at  the  wheel,  and  Wash- 
burn  and  I  went  to  supper.  We  talked  freely 
before  Cobbington,  who  told  us  that  Cornwood 
had  offered  him  five  dollars  to  be  a  witness  in  a 
case  of  assault  he  had  not  seen ;  but  he  would 
rather  starve  than  commit  a  crime. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      243 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

GREEN    COVE    SPRINGS    AND    GOVERNOR'S    CREEK. 

BY  the  time  we  had  finished  our  supper,  the 
steamer  was  in  sight  of  Green  Cove  Springs. 
Magnolia  was  abreast  of  us,  and  we  had  passed 
Hibernia ;  but  nothing  was  in  sight  from  either 
place  except  the  hotels,  •  where  winter  boarders 
from  the  North  are  domiciled,  and  at  the  former  a 
few  cottages.  There  were  plenty  of  "  crackers," 
or  natives,  in  the  country  ;  but  they  did  not  appear 
to  live  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  The  ladies  were 
seated  in  the  pilot-house,  observing  the  scenery, 
which  by  this  time  had  become  a  little  monoto 
nous,  though  the  scene  was  always  delightful,  for 
we  -had  only  the  varying  breadth  of  the  river,  and 
the  forest.  Occasionally  we  saw  a  few  old  red 
cedars,  whose  fantastic  forms  excited  attention  for 
a  time,  with  their  trunks  divided  like  an  inverted 
V,  near  the  surface  of  the  water.  The  bluffs,  when 
there  were  any,  were  covered  with  blackberry 
vines,  all  in  blossom,  so  that  they  looked  like 
snow  banks  in  the  distance. 


244  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"  You  must  get  up  early  in  the  morning,  ladies, 
.  and  take  a  bath  in  the  warm  water  of  the  spring," 
suggested  Mr.  Cornwood  as  we  approached  the 
village,  which  had  quite  a  number  of  houses,  com 
pared  with  any  other  place  we  had  seen  since  we 
left  Jacksonville. 

Mrs.  Shepard  had  heard  of  the  spring,  and  was 
desirous  of  trying  its  waters.  As  we  approached, 
we  discovered  a  small  steam-yacht  anchored  off  an 
old  wharf,  nearly  in  front  of  the  Union  Hotel.  It 
was  a  very  pretty  craft,  very  broad  for  her  length, 
and  evidently  did  not  draw  more  than  two  feet  of 
water,  or  perhaps  three.  Before  we  came  up  with 
her  Cornwood  had  rung  the  speed-bell,  and  we 
were  moving  very  slowly.  He  rang  the  gong 
when  we  were  abreast  of  the  yacht,  and  then  gave 
two  strokes  of  the  bell  to  back  her. 

"  Let  go  the  anchor  !  "  he  shouted  to  the  deck 
hands  forward,  for  as  the  passengers  were  to  remain 
on  board  all  night,  I  thought  it  was  better  to  be 
off  in  the  stream  than  at  the  wharf. 

The  Sylvania  brought  up  to  her  cable  about 
half-way  between  the  end  of  the  long  pier,  where 
the  steamers  made  their  landings,  and  the  little 
steam-yacht.  It  was  almost  dark  when  we  an 
chored,  and  I  could  not  obtain  a  very  good  view 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      245 

of  the  village.  In  the  evening  our  musicians  were 
called  for.  Then  the  absence  of  Griffin  Leeds  was 
regretted,  as  he  played  the  violin ;  but  Cobbington 
declared  that  he  had  played  that  instrument  for 
years  before  he  left  home  :  only  he  had  no  fiddle. 
Fortunately,  Landy  Perkins,  who  played  the  violon 
cello,  and  was  learning  to  play  the  violin,  had  one, 
and  our  orchestra  was  complete. 

It  was  a  beautiful,  mild,  and  soft  evening,  and 
our  party  stayed  on  deck  until  eleven  o'clock.  I 
arranged  an  anchor-watch,  so  that  two  of  the  ship's 
company  should  be  on  deck  all  the  time,  one 
forward  and  the  other  aft,  day  and  night.  They 
were  to  allow  no  one  to  come  on  board,  unless  by 
permission  of  the  captain  or  mate  ;  and  Washburn 
and  I  had  agreed  that  one  of  us  should  remain  on 
board  all  the  time.  Our 'passengers  did  not  care 
to  have  strangers  staring  at  them,  and  no  one  was 
willing  that  Griffin  Leeds  should  put  his  feet  on 
the  deck  of  the  Sylvania  again. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  boats  were  dropped 
into  the  water,  and  put  in  proper  condition  for  use. 
At  six  in  the  morning  the  steward  called  the  pas 
sengers,  as  required  by  them,  and  a  little  later  we 
landed  them  at  some  steps  on  the  pier,  near  the 
shore,  so  that  they  had  not  far  to  walk.  Mr. 


246  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

Cornwood  and  I  remained  on  shore  to  assist  the 
party.  At  the  head  of  the  wharf  we  found  a  store, 
a  billiard-hall  and  a  bar-room,  and  other  evidences 
of  civilization.  A  street  on  the  right  led  to  the 
Union  Hotel  and  the  Riverside  Cottages,  and  one 
on  the  left  to  Orange  Cottage,  the  two  latter  being 
large  boarding-houses,  which  we  found  were  occu 
pied  by  people  from  the  North. 

Following  the  street  from  the  wharf,  we  came  to 
the  Clarendon  Hotel,  the  most  pretentious  estab 
lishment  in  the  place.  At  the  office  of  this  house 
Cornwood  obtained  tickets  for  the  baths.  The 
spring  and  the  bathing-houses  are  inclosed  in  a 
park,  ornamented  with  live-oaks.  We  descended 
to  the  spring,  around  which  a  platform  is  built. 
The  spring  was  similar  to  that  we  had  seen  at 
Orange  Park,  though  there  were  no  clouds  of  sand 
rising  from  the  bottom  of  it.  Though  the  water 
was  eighteen  feet  deep,  we  could  see  to  the  bottom 
of  the  tunnel-shaped  hole  from  which  it  issued. 
Its  temperature  was  76°,  and  it  had  a  very  strong 
odor  of  sulphur. 

We  all  drank  a  dipper  each  of  the  water,  which 
was  perfectly  transparent,  and  I  thought  it  was 
not  "  bad  to  take  "  as  a  medicine.  There  is  a  bath 
for  ladies,  and  another  for  gentlemen.  Ours  was 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  247 

a  swimming-bath,  about  sixty  feet  long;  and  I 
must  say  that  the  water  was  perfectly  delightful. 
I  was  told  that  the  place  was  bad  for  consump 
tives,  but  the  water  was  excellent  for  rheumatism, 
dyspepsia,  and  kidney  complaints ;  but  as  I  had 
none  of  them,  I  know  nothing  at  all  about  its  vir 
tues.  Colonel  Shepard  declared  that  he  felt  like 
a  new  man  after  the  bath,  and  even  the  invalid 
Mrs.  Shepard  was  as  frisky  as  a  young  lamb.  The 
bath  was  certainly  a  great  luxury  to  all  of  us. 
We  took  a  walk  about  the  place,  and  found  the 
village  was  very  much  like  the  rural  part  of  Jack 
sonville.  The  gardens  were  crowded  with  orange- 
trees,  and  the  mocking-birds  filled  the  air  with 
their  melody. 

In  walking  over  to  Orange  Cottage  we  had  to 
cross  a  bridge,  about  fifteen  feet  above  the  water, 
which  was  a  stream  flowing  from  the  spring.  It 
was  the  clearest  water  I  had  ever  seen,  and  I  have 
gazed  into  the  crystal  tide  of  Lake  Superior,  which 
has  a  great  reputation  for  its  purity.  A  boat  \vas 
floating  on  the  surface,  and  I  saw  great  catfish 
swimming  lazily  out  of  the  pool.  Back  of  the  vil 
lage  was  the  forest  of  pine,  magnolia,  and  live-oak. 
We  walked  far  enough  to  see  the  homes  of  some 
of  the  crackers,  which  were  rude  and  primitive. 


248  DOWN  SOUTH  ;    OR, 

After  breakfast  we  landed  again,  and  followed 
"  St.  David's  Path  "  to  Magnolia.  It  was  through 
the  woods,  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  "-  St.  David," 
though  he  was  not  the  original  champion  of  Wales, 
had  a  very  fine  residence  near  the  entrance  to  the 
wood.  I  believe  he  was  canonized  for  the  ink  he 
made.  Near  the  house  we  found  some  magnolia 

o 

leaves  that  were  nearly  a  foot  long.  The  blue 
sand  in  the  path  was  as  hard  as  a  rock,  and  it  was 
strange  that  anything  would  grow  in  it. 

The  proprietor  of  Orange  Park  resented  the 
idea,  when  some  one  called  the  soil  nothing  but 
blue  sand ;  and  taking  up  a  handful  of  it,  he 
rubbed  it  between  his  palms.  The  skin  was  con 
siderably  stained  by  the  operation,  which  could 
not  have  been  the  case  if  the  earth  had  been  simply 
4iouse-sand,  as  it  is  called  in  the  North.  We  all 
knew  that  the  finest  oranges,  bananas,  lemons, 
sugar-cane,  as  well  as  strawberries  and  garden 
vegetables,  grew  out  of  it. 

At  the  bridge  which  crosses  Governor's  Creek, 
on  the  other  side  of  which  is  the  Magnolia  House, 
we  found  the  boats,  which  had  been  ordered  to  be 
here.  We  all  embarked,  and  ascended  the  creek. 
Our  course  was  through  water-weeds  and  tiger- 
lilies  ;  but  we  soon  came  to  clear  water.  An  old 
mill  stood  by  the  shore. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  249 

"  There  is  a  friend  of  yours,  Captain  Garniwg- 
ham,"  said  Cormvood,  as  he  pointed  to  a  log,  one 
end  of  which  was  submerged  in  the  creek. 

On  the  log,  coiled  up,  with  his  head  in  the 
middle  and  resting  on  one  of  the  folds  of  his  body, 
was  a  moccasin  snake  just  like  the  one  I  had  seen 
in  the  attic  room  of  Captain  Boomsby's  house. 

"Mercy!"  exclaimed  Miss  Margie.  "It  is  a 
snake  !  Let  us  get  away  from  here  !  " 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  Miss  Tiffany,"  interposed 
the  guide.  "He  is  fast  asleep." 

"  But  he  may  wake,  and  bite  some  of  us,"  in 
sisted  Miss  Margie. 

"If  he  wakes,  the  first  thing  he  will  do  will  be 
to  run  away.  It  is  a  moccasin,  and  his  bite  is 
poisonous ;  but  he  can't  bite  in  the  water." 

Cornwood  picked  up  a  boat-hook,  but  the  snake 
was  just  out  of  his  reach.  The  men  backed  the 
boat  a  little,  and  the  guide  just  touched  the  tail  of 
the  reptile.  This  woke  him,  -and  without  waiting 
to  bid  adieu  to  the  party,  he  scurried  up  the  log, 
and  disappeared  in  the  trees  on  the  bank  of  the 
stream.  Miss  Margie  was  greatly  relieved  when 
he  was  gone.  The  oarsmen  gave  way  again,  but 
had  not  taken  three  strokes  before  one  of  them 
tipped  over  an  alligator  in  the  water.  He  was  a 


250  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

little  fellow,  and  made  off  with  all  his  might,  to  the 
great  amusement  of  the  party.  The  men  had  not 
taken  half  a  dozen  strokes  more,  before  another 
alligator  was  turned  over  by  an  oar.  This  was  a 
larger  one  than  the  other,  and  his  head  was  lifted 
entirely  out  of  the  water.  At  the  same  moment 
Cornwood,  who  was  standing  in  the  bow  of  the 
boat,  aimed  a  revolver  at  him,  and  fired. 

Miss  Margie  gave  a  little  scream  at  the  report 
of  the  pistol.  The  ball  had  evidently  done  its 
work,  for  the  reptile  was  floundering  on  the  top 
of  the  water,  instead  of  running  away,  as  the  other 
one  had  done.  The  guide  fired  again  ;  and  after  a 
little  more  struggling,  the  alligator  lay  still  on  the 
top  of  the  water. 

"  We  will  tow  him  ashore  and  let  you  look  at 
him,  if  you  wish,"  said  the  guide. 

"  No,  I  thank  you ;  not  on  my  account,"  added 
Miss  Margie. 

"I  should  really  like  to  see  him,"  said  Miss 
Edith. 

"  Then  you  shall  see  him,"  replied  .Owen. 

But  there  was  no  shore  in  the  vicinity  to  tow 
him  to  ;  and  the  guide  suggested  that  he  should  be 
allowed  to  remain,  while  we  followed  the  other 
boat  to  the  head  of  boat  navigation  on  the  creek, 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  251 

I 

which  was  only  a  short  distance  farther.  The 
shore  was  under  water,  and  the  trees  grew  out  of 
it.  The  guide  said  this  was  a  specimen  of  a  por 
tion  of  the  Ocklawaha,  on  a  small  scale.  But  we 
soon  came  to  higher  banks,  which  were  covered 
with  a  fragrant  blossom  called  the  "  swamp  pink  " 
in  some  parts  of  the  North.  The  air  was  loaded 
with  its  perfume,  and  the  young  ladies  were  in 
ecstasies  over  the  sweetness  of  the  blossoms,  and 
the  beautiful  appearance  of  the  banks  of  the  stream. 
Beyond  this  we  found  the  shore  covered  with 
another  blossom,  the  swamp  blueberry.  The 
bushes  lined  the  shore,  and  were  so  covered  with 
blossoms  that  they  seemed  to  be  all  there  was  of 
them.  The  young  ladies  wanted  to  gather  some, 
and  the  men  filled  every  available  place  in  the  boat 
with  these  and  the  swamp  pinks. 

On  our  return  we  picked  up  the  alligator,  mak 
ing  a  line  fast  to  him,  and  towing  him  down  to  the 
bridge.  We  made  a  landing  under  the  bluif,  and 
hauled  the  reptile  out  of  the  water.  He  was  about 
five  feet  long.  Buck  pried  his  mouth  open,  so 
that  the  ladies  could  see  his  teeth.  Cornwood 
asked  Miss  Margie  if  she  did  not  want  a  piece  of 
him  for  lier  supper,  declaring  that  he  had  eaten  a 
portion  of  the  tail,  which  he  considered  very 


252  DOWN  SOUTH  ;.  OR, 

* 

good.     The  English  maiden  preferred  beef  and 
mutton. 

AVe  did  not  want  the  alligator,  and  we  left  him 
where  he  was.  Cornwood  said  some  native  would 
take  possession  of  him,  and  in  two  or  three  months 
his  teeth  would  be  for  sale  in  the  stores  at  Jackson 
ville.  We  were  on  board  in  time  for  dinner  at 
one,  the  hour  at  which  it  had  been  ordered.  In 
the  afternoon  I  received  a  visi$  from  the  gentleman 
who  was  sailing  the  little  steam-yacht  near  us.  He 
was  a  New  Yorker,  spending  the  winter  in  Florida, 
and  had  his  wife  and  daughter  on  board.  I  intro 
duced  him  to  our  party,  and  showed  him  all  over 
the  Sylvania. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  253 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

ALLIGATOR    SHOOTING    ON    BLACK    CREEK. 

AFTER  supper  I  returned  the  visit  of  Mr. 
Garbrook,  the  oifner  and  captain  of  the  little 
steam-yacht.  She  was  a  perfect  beauty,  and,  small 
as  she  was,  she  had  two  state-rooms  for  the  owner 
and  his  family,  and  a  nice  little  cabin.  The  whole 
ship's  company  besides  the  owner,  consisted  of  an 
engineer  and  a  boy.  Forward  of  the  engine  were 
a  cook-room,  a  little  cabin,  and  the  pilot-house, 
the  latter  so  small  that  only  one  person  could 
occupy  it  at  the  same  time. 

"  Who  is  the  cook  ?  "  I  asked,  wondering  how  he 
managed  to  run  the  boat  with  only  two  hands. 

"  Sometimes  the  boy  does  the  cooking,  and 
sometimes  I  do  it ;  but  we  don't  live  very  high  on 
board,"  said  Mr.  Garbrook,  laughing.  "  We  take 
most  of  our  meals  on  shore  when  we  are  near  a 
hotel." 

"I  think  I  should  prefer  a  little  more  room,"  I 
added. 


254  DOWN  SOUTH  ;  OR, 

"  So  should  I ;  but  a  steamer  of  your  size  draws 
too  much  water.  I  have  an  orange  plantation 
back  of  Picolata ;  I  have  to  run  up  Five-Mile 
Creek  to  reach  it  by  water;  and  it  is  not  deep 
enough  for  such  a  craft  as  I  would  like,"  added 
Mr.  Garbrook. 

"I  was  thinking  of  going  up  Black  Creek  to 
morrow,  to  Middleburg ;  but  I  cannot  find  a  pilot. 
I  was  going  to  ask  your  party  to  accompany  us," 
continued  the  owner  of  the  little  steamer. 

"  I  think  I  can  furnish  the  pilot,"  I  replied. 

"  Your  steamer  draws  too  much  water  for  Black 
Creek,  or  I  suppose  you  would  run  up  to  Middle- 
burg  in  her.  A  great  many  parties  make  this 
excursion." 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  heard  of  Black  Creek 
before,"  I  replied,  wondering  that  Cornwood  had 
not  mentioned  it. 

Perhaps  our  guide  did  not  know  about  Black 
Creek  ;  and  I  pulled  out  of  my  pocket  the  "  Sug 
gestions  "  he  had  written  out  for  the  trip ;  but  I 
could  not  find  the  name  in  it.  If  there  was  any 
thing  in  Florida  that  Cornwood  was  not  familiar 
with,  I  desired  to  know  what  it  was.  It  would  be 
a  real  enjoyment  to  me  to  find  that  he  was  not 
competent  to  pilot  the  little  steam-yacht  up  Black 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  255 

Creek.  I  was  instructed  to  invite  all  our  party  to 
the  excursion,  if  I  could  bring  a  pilot  for  the 
occasion. 

I  returned  to  the  Sylvania,  and  I  thought  I 
would  invite  the  party  before  I  said  anything  to 
the  pilot.  I  gave  them  what  information  I  had 
obtained  in  regard  to  Black  Creek  and  Middle- 
burg,  and  they  were  ready  to  accept  the  invitation. 
I  found  Corn  wood  on  the  forecastle,  smoking  his 
cigar,  and  opened  the  matter  by  informing  him 
that  the  party  were  going  up  Black  Creek  the 
next  day. 

"  But  this  boat  draws  too  much  water  to  go  up 
to  Middleburg,"  said  the  pilot,  promptly.  "She. 
can't  go  half-way  up  there." 

"  But  we  are  to  go  in  that  little  steam-yacht,"  I 
added. 

"  That's  another  thing ;  I  dare  say  she  would  go 
up  if  there  was  nothing  but  a  little  fog  under  her," 
laughed  Corn  wood. 

"  But  we  wish  you  to  pilot  her  up  the  creek,"  I 
continued. 

"  I  will  do  it  with  the  greatest  pleasure,"  he 
answered. 

I  was  taken  aback  by  this  ready  reply,  for  I 
had  felt  confident  that. I  had  found  something  the 
Floridian  could  not  do. 


256  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  You  did  not  mention  Black  Creek  in  the  paper 
you  wrote,"  I  suggested. 

"  Neither  did  I  mention  Lake  Griffin,  because  it 
would  be  impossible  to  get  up  there  in  a  boat 
drawing  eight  feet  of  water,"  replied  Corn  wood. 

The  pilot  was  not  to  be  caught.  I  sent  word  to 
Mr.  Garbrook  that  our  party  would  be  happy  to 
join  his  family  in  the  excursion  up  Black  Creek, 
and  that  I  would  furnish  a  pilot.  I  noticed  con 
siderable  activity  on  board  of  the  Gazelle,  for  that 
was  the  name  of  the  steam-yacht,  after  I  sent  the 
message. 

I  had  heard  nothing  of  Griffin  Leeds  during  the 
day.  Though  I  had  no  doubt  he  was  in  Green 
Cove  Springs,  he  made  no  attempt  to  come  on 
board.  I  concluded  that  he  intended  to  wait  for 
a  more  favorable  opportunity  to  recover  possession 
of  his  wife ;  but  I  was  determined  that  no  such 
chance  should  be  afforded  to  him. 

At  nine  in  the  morning  we  went  on  board  of 
the  Gazelle,  and  she  weighed  anchor  immediately. 
Cornwood  took  possession  of  the  pilot-house,  de 
claring  that  he  had  never  been  confined'  in  a 
canary-bird's  cage  before.  But  he  was  good- 
natured  about  it,  and  when  the  boy  had  got  uj 
the  anchor,  Cornwood  rang  the  bell  to  start  the 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  257 

engine.  Everything  worked  as  regularly  as  though 
the  little  yacht  had  been  a  steamer  of  a  thousand 
tons.  The  pilot  ran  the  boat  down  the  river  about 
a  mile  below  Magnolia,  and  then  stood  into  an 
inlet,  at  the  head  of  which  we  found  the  stream. 
It  was  a  considerable  river,  but  Cornwood  seemed 
to  be  quite  at  home  in  it.  It  was  a  crooked 
stream,  but  the  pilot  ran  from  one  side  to  the 
other,  talking  to  me  all  the  time  with  the  utmost 
indifference. 

I  pbserved  him  for  a  couple  of  hours,  until  I 
was  entirely  satisfied  that  he  knew  what  he  was 
about,  and  then  joined  the  party  astern.  It  was 
seldom  that  a  steamer  disturbed  the  waters  of 
Black  Creek,  never  in  these  days,  except  when  a 
party  of  curious  excursionists  desired  to  explore 
the  lonely  region.  The  Gazelle  made  about  eight 
knots  an  hour,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  we  were  fast 
to  a  dilapidated  pier  at  the  ruined  town  of  Middle- 
burg.  It  lay  about  half-way  between  the  St. 
Johns  and  the  Atlantic,  Gulf  and  West  India 
Company's  Railroad,  extending  from  Fernandina 
to  Cedar  Ke}rs,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  intended 
as  part  of  a  quick  route  to  Havana.  The  building 
of  this  railroad,  by  diverting  from  it  the  trade  and 
transportation  of  a  considerable  region  of  country, 
17 


258  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

had  utterly  ruined  Middleburg,  and  it  was  as  lone 
and  deserted  as  Pompeii  under  the  ashes  of  Vesu 
vius.  Hardly  a  family  was  to  be  found  in  its 
abandoned  houses. 

A  glance  at  the  ruins  was  enough  to  satisfy  the 
party,  especially  as  Corn  wood  warned  us  not  to 
enter  the  houses,  or  we  should  be  covered  with 
fleas.  These  pests  are  not  uncommon  in  Florida. 
Green  Cove  Springs  formerly  had  some,  which 
were  supposed  to  be  scattered  through  the  place 
by  the  pigs  that  ran  at  large.  The  evil  was  cor 
rected  by  keeping  them  out  of  the  village.  The 
fleas  were  a  vastly  greater  terror  to  the  ladies  than 
the  alligators,  of  which  there  were  a  great  many  in 
the  creek.  Its  quiet  waters,  not  often  disturbed 
by  steamers,  aiforded  them  a  peaceful  retreat. 
Owen  and  Colonel  Shepard  had  brought  their  guns 
with  them,  and  had  fired  at  some  of  the  larger 
ones  seen  on  the  shore ;  but  the  saurians  might 
have  laughed  at  them,  if  they  were  given  to  ex 
pressing  themselves  in  that  manner.  Cornwood 
smiled  every  time  one  of  them  fired. 

AVe  ran  up  the  "  North  Prong "  of  the  river  a 
few  miles.  Under  the  shade  of  some  spreading 
oaks  we  stopped  for  the  lunch  which  our  host  had 
provided.  It  had  been  obtained  at  the  hotels,  and 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  259 

after  our  sail  we  were  in  condition  to  enjoy  it. 
The  alligators  were  larger  and  more. plentiful,  and 
while  the  Gazelle  was  at  rest  they  were  more  dis 
posed  to  show  themselves  on  the  sandy  beach 
above  us.  Owen  and  the  Colonel  fired  at  them 
several  times  ;  but  they  seemed  to  take  no  notice 
of  the  shots,  and  the  pilot  laughed  as  usual. 

"  You  haven't  graduated  as  alligator  sportsmen 
yet,"  said  Cornwood  when  they  had  wasted  a  large 
quantity  of  powder  and  ball.  "  You  might  as  well 
fire  at  an  iron-clad,  as  at  the  back  and  sides  of  an 
alligator  as  large  as  those  are." 

Owen  handed  him  his  gun,  which  was  one  of 
the  most  expensive  pieces,  intended  for  deer  and 
other  large  game.  The  pilot  loaded  it  himself, 
and  said  he  should  try  for  the  largest  reptile  in  the 
group  on  the  beach.  He  fired.  The  alligator 
gave  a  spring,  and  began  to  flounder  in  the  sand, 
while  his  companions  deserted  him,  taking  to  the 
water.  In  another  moment  he  was  dead. 

"  What  do  you  aim  at,  Mr.  Cornwood  ?  "  asked 
Owen,  with  admiration  at  the  skill  of  the  Floridian. 

"  It  depends  on  circumstances,"  replied  the  pilot. 
"  If  the  alligator  is  in  such  a  position  that  I  can 
take  him  in  the  eye,  as  that  one  was,  and  send  the 
ball  diagonally  through  his  head,  I  fire  at  the 


260  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

eye.  If  he  lies  so  that  I  can  put  the  ball  in  behind 
his  forward  flipper,  and  have  it  pass  forward,  I 
take  him  there.  Sometimes  he  is  in  such  a  posi 
tion  that  you  can't  hit  him  in  either  of  these 
places,  and  it  is  no  more  use  to  fire  at  him  than  it 
is  to  shoot  into  the  water." 

"You  made  an  end  of  that  fellow,  at  any  rate," 
added  Colonel  Shepard.  "  I  think  we  had  better 
run  over  and  take  a  look  at  him." 

The  pilot  ran  the  boat  near  enough  to  the  beach 
so  that  we  could  jump  ashore.  I  took  a  measure 
with  me,  and  the  alligator  proved  to  be  ten  feet 
and  four  inches  long.  Owen  considered  himself  a 
good  shot,  and  he  was  somewhat  mortified  at  his 
ill-success  in  shooting  the  saurian.  "We  ran  far 
ther  up  the  creek  till  we  saw  another  group  of 
them  on  the  sand.  The  steam  was  shut  off  as  soon 
as  they  came  in  sight  around  a  bend.  The  boat 
went  ahead  a  considerable  distance  after  the  screw 
stopped.  On  this  beach  were  a  number  of  parallel 
crooked  lines,  where  the  alligators  had  crawled  on 
the  sand.  One  of  the  reptiles  raised  his  head,  and 
seemed  to  be  in  doubt  whether  or  not  he  should 
take  to  the  water  at  the  approach  of  the  steamer. 

Owen  raised  his  piece  and  fired.  All  but  one 
of  the  alligators  scurried  into  the  water,  and  dis- 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  261 

appeared.  One  remained  on  the  beach  motionless. 
The  Gazelle  was  started,  and  on  reaching  the  shore 
we  found  the  reptile  was  as  dead  as  he  could  be. 
He  was  larger  than  the  other,  his  length  being 
eleven  feet  and  two  inches.  My  cousin  wanted  to 
take  him  back  to  the  Springs,  and  we  hauled  him 
on  the  forecastle  of  the  little  steamer.  Corn  wood 
gave  the  Englishman  abundant  praise  for  what  he 
had  done.  After  three  attempts  farther  up  the 
stream,  Colonel  Shepard  shot  one  seven  feet  long. 
This  was  considered  enough  for  one  day,  and  we 
started  on  the  return.  At  six  we  put  our  party 
on  board  of  the  Sylvania,  with  many  thanks  to  Mr. 
Garbrook  for  the  pleasure  of  the  excursion. 

AVe  had  no  further  business  in  Green  Cove 
Springs  ;  but  Owen  insisted  that  we  must  recipro 
cate  the  hospitality  of  the  Garbrooks,  and  I  was 
asked  to  plan  an  excursion  for  the  next  day. 
There  was  no  locality  above  Jacksonville  to  which 
our  friends  had  liot  been  ;  and  I  proposed  to  break 
fast  the  Gazelle's  people  on  board,  and  starting  at 
six  in  the  morning  make  a  trip  to  Fort  George 
Island,  where  the  Garbrooks  had  never  been,  or 
even  below  Jacksonville  on  the  river.  The  plan 
was  received  with  acclamation,  and  I  hastened  on 
board  of  the  Gazelle  to  present  the  invitation  of 
Owen. 


262  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

Our  party  were  all  up  at  five  the  next  morning, 
for  they  did  not  omit  the  swimming-bath  a  single 
day  while  they  were  at  the  Springs  ;  and  they  re 
turned  in  season  for  the  Sylvania,  which  had 
hauled  up  to  the  pier  to  start  on  the  excursion  at 
*  the  appointed  hour.  Washburn  had  filled  the 
bunkers  of  the  steamer  with  light  wood,  which  is 
plenty  and  cheap  on  the  St.  Johns,  and  made 
steam  very  rapidly.  I  told  Moses  Brickland  to 
make  the  best  time  he  could  with  safety,  and  at  the 
breakfast-hour  I  found  we  were  making  twelve 
knots. 

Our  guests  were  delighted  with  the  steamer. 
In  the  forenoon,  as  we  had  a  strong  southerly 
breeze,  I  put  on  all  sail,  as  much  to  show  the 
Garbrooks  how  it  was  done,  as  for  any  other 
reason.  This  operation  showed  off  our  sailors, 
and  pleased  all  the  party.  At  eleven  we  reached 
our  destination ;  and  after  lunch  the  party  landed, 
and  spent  three  hours  in  visiting  the  various  local 
ities  on  the  island.  At  three  we  sailed  again,  and 
reached  our  destination  at  eight. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IN  FLORIDA.      263 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ON   BOARD   OF   THE    WETUMPKA. 

THE  Garbrooks  were  exceedingly  pleasant  peo 
ple.  Miss  Garbrook,  without  being  pretty, 
was  a  very  sensible  girl,  and  our  young  ladies 
liked  her  very  much.  The  time  had  apparently 
come  to  part  when  we  anchored  at  the  Springs. 
The  young  ladies  would  not  consider  it ;  and  then 
came  an  invitation  for  our  party  to  visit  Mr.  Gar- 
brook's  orange  plantation  on  Five-Mile  Creek.  It 
was  accepted ;  and  the  next  day  Cornwood  piloted 
us  up  that  stream  as  far  as  the  depth  of  water 
would  permit,  and  the  Gazelle  took  them  the  rest 
of  the  way.  It  was  a  delightful  house,  with  a 
beautiful  garden,  and  ten  acres  of  orange-trees,  all 
in  full  blossom,  as  fragrant  as  the  boudoir  of  a 
belle. 

We  dined  on  what  our  host  called  Florida  fare, 
consisting  mainly  of  a  roasted  ham  and  spring 
chickens,  with  oranges,  cooked  and  uncooked,  in 
every  conceivable  form.  We  enjoyed  the  repast 


264  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

and  the  hospitality  of  the  plantation,  and  regretted 
that  we  could  not  remain  as  long  as  our  friends 
desired.  Then  came  the  question  of  parting,  and 
again  the  young  ladies  protested.  Miss  Nellie 
must  go  with  them.  Owen  at  once  invited  the 
family  to  go  with  us  up  the  river.  A  long  dis 
cussion  followed ;  and  the  Garbrooks  decided  to 
go  if  we  would  wait  till  the  next  morning.  This 
was  agreed  to ;  and  I  sent  word  to  the  mate  of 
the  Sylvania  of  the  change  in  the  time  of  sailing. 
The  ladies  remained  at  the  house  overnight,  and 
the  gentlemen  returned  to  the  steamer  in  the 
Gazelle. 

At  half  past  six  the  little  steamer  brought  the 
ladies  and  the  baggage  of  the  Garbrooks  on  board. 
We  got  under  way  immediately,  and  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  we  were  standing  up  the  St.  Johns. 
This  addition  to  the  number  of  our  passengers 
made  "  a  new  deal "  of  the  state-rooms  and  berths 
in  the  cabin.  I  was  asked  to  assign  them  as  I 
thought  proper,  and  Owen  told  me  not  to  consider 
him,  for  he  would  go  into  the  forward  cabin  if 
necessary.  Colonel  Shepard  and  his  wife  retained 
one  of  the  large  state-rooms,  and  the  other  was 
assigned  to  Mr.  Garbrook  and  his  wife.  The 
other  two  state-rooms  were  of  good  size,  and  had 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  265 

a  bedstead  three  and  a  half  feet  wide  in  each.  One 
of  these  was  given  to  Miss  Garbrook,  and  Miss 
Edith  and  Miss  Margie  volunteered  to  occupy  the 
other,  declaring  that  it  was  quite  large  enough  for 
both  of  them.  Mr.  Tiffany,  Gus  Shepard,  and 
Owen  had  each  a  berth,  without  disturbing  Chloe. 
This  arrangement  was  satisfactory  to  all  the  pas 
sengers. 

The  steamer  went  along  at  her  usual  speed  of 
ten  miles  an  hour.  After  breakfast,  Owen  and 
the  young  ladies  took  possession  of  the  pilot-house, 
and  the  rest  of  the  party  were  seated  under  the 
awning  on  the  forecastle.  These  places  afforded  a 
view  of  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  of  the  long 
prospect  ahead. 

"  Tocoi,"  said  the  pilot,  pointing  to  the  left. 
"This  is  the  place  where  passengers  are  landed 
who  go  to  St.  Augustine.  A  railroad,  fifteen 
miles  in  length,  takes  travellers  the  rest  of  the 
way." 

We  could  see  nothing  but  a  few  sheds,  and 
Tocoi  itself  was  of  no  consequence.  The  river 
was  just  about  what  we  had  seen  all  the  way  up 
from  Jacksonville.  At  ten  o'clock  we  ran  up  to 
the  wharf  at  Pilatka.  This  is  a  thriving  town  of 
from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  inhabitants, 


266  DOWX    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

and,  like  every  other  place  on  the  river,  is  a  resort 
for  invalids  from  the  North.  After  dinner  the 
party  landed  and  explored  the  town,  which  is  not 
very  different  from  any  other  Florida  towns  we 
had  seen.  It  had  pleasant  houses,  surrounded 
with  orange  gardens. 

I  directed  Washburn  to  anchor  the  Sylvania  at 
some  distance  from  the  wharf  in  the  river,  partly 
to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  steamers  arriving,  and 
partly  to  make  sure  that  Griffin  Leeds  did  not  get 
on  board  of  her.  I  had  seen  nothing  of  him, 
though  I  fancied  he  was  in  Green  Cove  Springs 
while  we  were  there. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday ;  all  our  passengers, 
and  some  of  the  ship's  company,  went  to  church. 
On  Monday  morning  we  sailed  for  Welaka,  twenty- 
five  miles  farther  up  the  river.  It  is  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Ocklawaha  River.  The  St.  Johns 
was  only  one-third  of  a  mile  wide  at  this  point, 
and  began  to  look  more  like  a  stream  and  less  like 
a  lake.  Colonel  Shepard  had  chartered  a  small 
steamer  for  our  trip  up  the  Ocklawaha  and  the 
upper  St.  Johns.  On  Saturday  afternoon,  Wash- 
burn,  with  Ben  Bowman  and  Dyer  Perkins,  had 
started  for  Jacksonville  to  bring  the  Wetumpka, 
for  that  was  the  name  of  the  craft,  up  to  this  point. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  267 

She  was  a  nearly  new  vessel,  which  the  owners 
had  built  for  an  extra  boat,  but  the  scarcity  of 
engineers  had  prevented  them  from  putting  her  on 
the  route  at  that  time,  though  they  had  a  couple 
on  their  way  from  a  northern  city.  Steamboat 
business  was  exceedingly  brisk  at  this  time  of  the 
year  on  the  upper  rivers,  and  the  owners  of  the 
line  had  several  boats  running  on  them.  The 
Colonel  had  obtained  the  Wetumpka  only  by  agree 
ing  to  run  her  himself,  and  by  paying  a  large  price 
for  her,  quite  as  much  as  she  could  have  made 
after  paying  her  expenses,  if  she  had  gone  on  the 
line. 

I  was  a  little  uneasy  when  I  found  she  was  not 
at  Welaka.  She  did  not  draw  over  two  feet  of 
water  when  not  loaded,  and  I  was  confident  she 
could  come  through  with  Washburn  at  the  wheel. 
I  had  left  it  to  the  mate  of  the  Sylvania  to  start 
with  his  charge  at  whatever  time  best  suited  him. 
Both  Moses  Brickland  and  Ben  Bowman  had  been 
offered  double  the  wages  I  paid  them  when  we 
arrived  at  Jacksonville,  and  had  refused  the  offer. 
I  could  think  of  nothing  but  the  want  of  an  engi 
neer  that  would  prevent  Washburn  from  coming 
through  on  time. 

While  I  was  thinking  about  it,  and  worrying  a 


268  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

little,  I  heard  some  one  on  deck  say  she  was 
coming ;  and  I  felt  ashamed  of  myself  for  doubt 
ing,  even  for  a  moment,  the  loyalty  of  Ben  Bow 
man.  I  left  my  room  and  went  aft.  I  saw  one 
of  those  peculiar  Florida  boats  coming  around  the 
bend  below  us.  I  sent  for  my  spy-glass,  and  soon 
made  out  the  name  of  the  Wetumpka  on  the  pilot 
house.  In  ten  minutes  more  she  came  alongside 
the  Sylvania. 

I  had  not  seen  the  craft  I  was  to  command 
before,  and  I  had  no  little  curiosity  to  look  her 
over.  Washburn  received  me  when  I  went  on 
board,  and  we  shook  hands,  for  we  had  been  sepa 
rated  for  nearly  two  days,  a  longer  time  than  for 
months  before. 

"  What  makes  you  so  late  ?  I  was  afraid  some 
thing  had  happened  to  you,"  I  began. 

"Are  wTe  not  on  time?"  asked  the  mate.  ""We 
were  to  be  here  on  Monday  forenoon ;  and  it  is 
only  eleven  o'clock." 

"  I  thought  you  were  to  be  here  in  the  morning." 

"  We  could  not  be  here  very  early  in  the  morn 
ing  without  running  on  Sunday,  or  incurring  the 
risk  of  running  aground  in  the  dark,"  replied 
Washburn  with  a  yawn.  "  The  moon  did  not  rise 
till  one  this  morning.  We  slept  on  board  last 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  269 

night,  and  left  Jacksonville  at  one.  We  have  kept 
her  going  very  lively  all  the  time." 

"All  right;  I  am  entirely  satisfied.  What  sort 
of  a  craft  is  she  ?  "  I  continued. 

"  She  is  not  such  a  craft  as  the  Sylvania,  but  she 
is  all  right  for  a  river  boat.  She  has  made  very 
good  time,"  replied  Washburn,  as  he  seated  him 
self  on  the  forward  deck. 

He  looked  tired,  and  gaped  several  times  as  he 
was  talking  to  me.  He  looked  as  though  he  had 
had  a  hard  time  of  it. 

"  I  hope  you  are  not  sick,  Washburn,"  I  said, 
in  commiserating  tones. 

"  Not  at  all.  'I  slept  about  four  hours  last  night, 
and  have  been  at  the  wheel  of  the  boat  ten  hours 
on  a  stretch.  That's  all  that  ails  me ;  and  I  shall 
be  as  good  as  new  when  I  have  had  a  nap." 

"Have  you  had  anything  to  eat  to-day?"  I 
asked,  thinking  the  crew  of  the  Wetumpka  had 
been  on  duty  so  that  they  had  not  had  time  to  get 
any  meals. 

"Plenty  to  eat.  I  laid  in  a  stock  of  cold  ham, 
chickens,  and  coffee  for  the  trip." 

"You  and  those  who  came  up  with  you  had 
better  go  on  board  of  the  Sylvania  and  turn  in, 
while  the  rest  of  us  transfer  the  baggage  and  stores 
to  this  boat/'  I  added. 


270  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

I  called  Moses,  and  asked  him  to  take  charge  of 
the  engine  of  the  river  boat,  and  sent  the  three 
hands  from  her  to  their  bunks.  The  curiosity  of 
the  passengers  and  crew  of  the  Sylvania  was  equal 
to  my  own.  The  party  from  the  cabin  rushed  on 
board  of  the  Wetumpka  as  soon  as  they  found  she 
was  alongside,  and  we  all  went  into  an  examination 
of  her.  She  was  a  "  twin  boat :  "  that  is,  she  had 
two  hulls,  like  a  "catamaran."  They  were  flat- 
bottomed,  so  as  to  draw  but  little  water.  On 
these  two  hulls  were  laid  a  platform,  which  came 
to  a  point  at  the  bow,  and  projected  some  distance 
forward  of  the  stems  of  the  two  boats.  On  the 
main  deck,  no  one  would  suspect  that  she  was 
composed  of  two  boats. 

The  paddle-wheel  wTas  between  the  two  hulls, 
and  near  the  stern  of  the  craft.  The  engine  was 
on  deck,  and  the  upper  part  of  the  paddle-wheel 
was  boxed  up  above  the  main  deck.  She  had  a 
broad  opening  on  each  side  of  her  lower  deck, 
through  which  she  could  receive  her  wood  and 
freight.  Forward  of  these  doors  were  the  quarters 
for  the  crew  on  one  side,  and  the  kitchen  and  ice 
house  on  the  other. 

Above  the  main  deck  was  the  saloon  deck,  with 
the  pilot-house  at  the  forward  end  of  it.  In  front 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  271 

of  this  was  a  platform  on  which  the  passengers 
could  sit,  the  pilot  looking  out  over  their  heads. 
In  the  saloon  were  eight  state-rooms  on  a  side, 
which  were  small,  but  very  comfortably  fitted  up. 
At  the  stern  was  a  pantry  and  a  little  smoking- 
room.  The  saloon  was  neatly  furnished,  and  I 
thought  our  passengers  could  be  very  comfortable 
on  board  of  the  Wetumpka  for  a  couple  of  weeks. 
The  steward  and  his  force  were  busy  getting  ready 
for  dinner;  but  I  set  the  deck-hands  to  moving 
the  baggage  of  the  passengers  at  once. 

After  dinner  the  stores  were  removed  on  board 
of  the  river  steamer,  and  by  two  in  the  afternoon 
we  were  ready  to  start  up  the  Ocklawaha,  which 
was  to  be  the  first  of  the  two  trips.  We  towed 
the  Sylvania  out  into  deep  water,  anchored  her, 
and  left  her  in  charge  of  Ben  Bowman  and  Dyer 
Perkins,  for  one  engineer  and  one  fireman  were 
sufficient  for  the  trip:  Corn  wood  took  the  wheel, 
and  we  ran  into  the  Ocklawaha.  In  a  few  hours 
we  were  in  the  woods,  the  trees  of  which  were 
loaded  with  trailing  moss,  which,  however,  was  no 
new  thing  to  us,  as  we  had  seen  it  in  Savannah, 
and  all  the  way  up  the  St.  Johns.  In  places  the 
shores  were  submerged,  but  the  channel  of  the 
river  was  clearly  defined  by  the  shrubs  and  masses 


272  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

of  vines,  many  of  them  covered  with  flowers  of 
various  colors.  The  water  was  very  clear,  and 
not  a  breath  of  air  ruffled  its  surface.  Everything 
above  it  was  reflected  as  in  a  mirror,  and  the 
young  ladies  were  in  ecstasies  at  the  beauty  of  the 
forest,  the  vines,  and  the  water. 

Occasionally  the  river  widened  out  into  a  broad 
pool,  with  sandy  shores.  In  one  of  these  we  en 
countered  a  raft  of  lumber,  on  its  way  to  Jackson 
ville.  The  men  on  it  were  wiry,  hatchet-faced 
fellows,  good-natured  and  easy-going.  Just  before 
sunset  we  came  to  Silver  Spring  Run,  into  which 
the  pilot  turned  the  boat.  If  the  water  had  been 
clear  before,  it  was  perfectly  transparent  in  this< 
run,  or  stream  flowing  from  the  spring.  We  could 
see  the  fish  in  the  water,  sixty  feet  down.  After 
dark  we  moored  to  a  wharf  for  the  night. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IS   FLORIDA.  273 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

UP   THE    OCKLAWAHA    TO   LAKE    GRIFFIN. 


spring  in  which  we  were  moored  was  a 
pond  covering  several  acres,  from  which  the 
run,  nine  miles  in  length,  conveys  its  waters  to  the 
Ocklawaha.  It  was  so  dark  when  we  made  fast 
the  night  before,  that  we  could  not  tell  exactly 
in  what  sort  of  a  place  we  were. 

"  This  spring  is  said  to  be  the  Fountain  of 
Youth,  which  Ponce  de  Leon  looked  after,"  said 
Cornwood,  as  our  passengers  gathered  on  deck  in 
front  of  the  pilot-house,  after  breakfast.  "  Out  in 
the  middle  of  this  pool,  the  water  is  eighty  feet 
deep." 

"  I  never  saw  so  large  a  volume  of  clear  water  ; 
and  it  is  a  great  pity  that  Ponce  de  Leon  didn't 
find  it,  though  it  probably  would  not  have  made 
the  old  gentleman  any  younger,"  added  Colonel 
Shepard.  "  What  sort  of  a  fish  is  it  I  see  in  this 
pond,  with  a  long  nose  ?  " 

"  That  is  the  gar-fish  ;  -but  it  is  of  no  account. 
18 


274  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

He  is  more  like  an  alligator  than  a  common  fish. 
There  is  an  alligator-gar  at  the  South.  But  our 
best  fish  are  not  to  be  found  to  any  great  extent  in 
these  waters,  which  are  stirred  up  every  day  by 
steamers  and  rafts.  In  the  upper  waters  of  the 
St.  Johns  you  will  find  the  best  fish  and  game, 
though  there  is  plenty  of  both  up  this  stream." 

The  party  landed,  and  found  on  shore  a  village 
in  the  midst  of  the  forest,  with  stores  and  a  hotel. 
In  the  vicinity  were  cotton  and  sugar  plantations, 
with  many  Northern  settlers  engaged  in  orange- 
growing  and  raising  early  vegetables  for  the  North 
ern  markets.  At  the  landing,  crates  of  green  peas 
and  cucumbers  were  ready  for  the  steamer,  which 
in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  could  land  them  in 
Jacksonville.  But  we  were  not  much  interested 
in  examining  the  commercial  features  of  the  place, 
and  after  we  had  looked  over  a  few  orange-groves 
and  fields  of  bananas,  wre  returned  on  board.  A 
steamer  had  just  arrived  from  below,  and  it  was  a 
busy  scene  at  the  landing. 

"  That  steamer  must  have  come  up  in  the  night," 
said  Mr.  Tiffany,  as  we  went  on  board  of  the 
Wetumpka." 

"  O,  yes ;  steamers  run  in  the  night  up  the 
Ocklawaha,"  replied  Cornwood. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  275 

"  But  they  can  see  nothing,  even  in  a  moonlight 
night,  under  the  trees  that  shade  the  stream  in  so 
many  places,"  added  the  English  gentleman. 

"  On  the  forward  part  of  the  boat  they  have  fires 
of  light  wood,  which  illuminate  their  course  for 
some  distance  ahead.  They  don't  all  get  up  here 
so  easy  as  we  did,  for  they  are  generally  heavily 
loaded  and  draw  a  foot  more  water,  which  makes 
a  diiference  in  the  navigation.  During  a  consider 
able  portion  of  the  year,  Silver  Springs  is  the  head 
of  navigation  on  this  river ;  but  freight  is  brought 
down  from  Leesburg  in  barges,  which  Yankees 
call  scows." 

"  But  how  do  they  move  the  scows  ?  " 

"  With  setting-poles,  assisted  by  the  current  of 
the  river.  This  place  is  only  five  miles  from 
Ocala,  to  which  a  railroad  has  been  laid  out, 
though  it  may  be  years  before  it  is  built,"  replied 
Cornwood.  "  We  are  in  the  very  heart  of  Florida 
now.  It  is  not  more  than  thirty-five  miles  to 
Gainesville,  to  which  a  stage  runs  from  Ocala 
three  times  a  week ;  and  that  place  is  on  the  rail 
road  to  Cedar  Keys.  We  are  forty-five  miles 
from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  sixty  from  the 
Atlantic.  It  is  thirty  miles  in  a  straight  line  to 
the  St.  Johns  River,  at  the  southern  point  of  Lake 
George." 


276  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

Steam  was  up  on  the  TVetumpka,  and  we  cast 
off  the  fasts  from  the  landing-pier.  All  the  party 
were  on  the  main  deck,  looking  down  into  the 
deep,  clear  water.  The  young  ladies  screamed 
forth  their  delight  at  the  reflected  objects  in  the 
water,  and  at  the  fish  on  the  bottom,  eighty  feet 
down.  We  entered  the  run,  and  in  another  hour 
we  were  stemming  the  gentle  tide  of  the  Ockla- 
waha  again.  The  stream  was  somewhat  narrower 
than  below  the  spring,  from  which  it  receives  a 
large  volume  of  water. 

"  Forward,  there  !  "  shouted  Cornwood  from  the 
pilot-house. 

"  On  deck,  sir !  "  returned  Buck  Lingley,  who 
was  on  duty  there. 

"  Stand  by  with  the  pole." 

Buck  seized  a  pole,  of  which  there  were  several 
on  the  forecastle ;  but  he  had  no  idea  what  he  was 
to  do  with  it,  for  he  was  a  salt-water  sailor.  Cob- 
bington  was  sitting  on  the  deck,  and  saw  that  the 
deck-hand  was  puzzled  by  the  situation,  and  took 
another  pole  to  assist  and  show  the  old  salt  what 
to  do.  At  about  this  time  we  were  driven  from 
our  position  forward  of  the  saloon  by  the  over 
hanging  branches  of  the  trees  and  the  trailing 

O        O  CJ 

vines.     Cornwood  had  struck  the  bell,  and   the 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  277 

paddle-wheel  stopped.  But  the  steamer  went 
ahead  until  the  bow  struck  the  bank  of  the  stream. 
Overhead  the  trees  met,  and  formed  an  arch  above 
us,  and  the  long  vines  were  caught  in  various  parts 
of  the  boat. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  we  were  in  a  bad  scrape, 
and  I  looked  to  the  pilot  to  ascertain  if  he  consid 
ered  the  situation  a  difficult  one.  He  did  not  seem 
to  me  to  be  at  all  disturbed,  and  I  thought  it  was 
not  worth  while  to  make  any  outcry.  I  went 
down  on  the  main-deck.  I  found  the  water  was 
very  shallow  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  Corn- 
wood  had  taken  the  side  where  the  greatest  depth 
was  to  be  had,  though  we  were  thereby  more 
snarled  up  in  the  branches  of  the  trees  than  we 
should  have  been  if  we  had  hugged  the  other  side 
of  the  stream. 

At  this  point  the  river  made  a  sharp  turn,  in 
clining  to  an  acute  angle ;  and  the  current  flowed 
by  the  longest  way  around  the  bend.  Cobbington 
struck  his  pike-pole  into  a  tree  on  the  shore,  and 
Buck  followed  his  example.  They  shoved  the 
head  of  the  boat  off,  so  that  she  pointed  up  the 
stream,  while  an  occasional  turn  of  the  wheel  was 
given  to  send  her  ahead.  The  vines  and  branches 
snapped  and  twanged  as  they  broke  or  slipped 


278  DOWN   SOUTH  ;     OE, 

from  the  parts  of  the  boat  where  they  were  caught. 
In  a  few  minutes  we  were  clear  of  the  obstruc 
tions,  though  we  had  to  work  the  boat  around  the 
bends,  and  through  masses  of  trees  in  this  way,  at 
least  twenty  times  in  the  course  of  the  forenoon. 

The  river  was  full  of  alligators,  and  our  sports 
men  amused  themselves  by  firing  at  them,  but  with 
no  great  success,  for  the  wabbling  of  the  boat 
interfered  with  their  aim?  About  one  o'clock  we 
came  to  a  landing-place,  where  a  few  logs  had  been 
laid  and  tied  into  the  sand  to  form  a  sort  of  wharf. 
On  the  bank  was  a  shanty,  and  we  concluded  to 
stop  for  a  while  and  have  a  run  on  shore,  as  the 
ground  seemed  to  be  high  enough  to  give  us 
standing  room.  Dinner  was  ready,  and  as  soon  as 
we  had  disposed  of  it  we  went  on  the  wharf. 

We  walked  through  the  woods  a  short  distance, 
and  then  came  to  an  orange-grove,  with  fields  of 
corn  six  inches  high,  and  sugar-cane  of  the  same 
height.  Across  these  fields  we  could  see  a  house, 
but  we  did  not  care  to  visit  it.  The  woods  were 
full  of  flowers,  and  the  ladies  gathered  bouquets 
to  adorn  the  cabin.  I  was  assisting  Miss  Margie 
in  this  pleasant  occupation,  when  I  suddenly  heard 
a  rattling  sound  just  ahead  of  me. 

The  young  lady  was  between  me  and  the  spot 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  279 

from  which  the  sound  came.  Near  her  was  Chloe, 
for  we  did  not  think  it  was  necessary  to  confine  her 
to  the  boats  in  these  wilds  of  the  interior.  I  did 
not  believe  that  Griffin  Leeds  had  followed  us  far 
ther  than  Pilatka,  though  I  had  neither  seen  nor 
heard  from  him  since  we  left  him  tied  to  the  rail 
ing  of  the  pier  at  Orange  Park. 

"  Run  away  from  there,  Miss  Margie !  This 
way  !  "  screamed  Chloe,  with  energy.  "  Come  to 
me,  missy ! " 

Though  I  had  no  idea  what  the  matter  was, 
I  concluded  to  retreat  in  the  same  direction. 
The  scream  of  the  stewardess  brought  up  the 
rest  of  the  party,  who  demanded  the  cause  of  the 
outcry. 

"  That  was  a  rattlesnake  in  there ! "  exclaimed 
Chloe.  "I  know  his  music  well  enough." 

"  I  should  like  to  see  him,"  said  Owen,  who  had 
brought  his  gun  with  him  for  the  chance  of  any 
game  he  might  see. 

I  picked  up  a  stick,  and  went  with  him.  As  we 
approached  the  spot  where  we  had  been  before, 
the  rattling  was  renewed. 

"  Look  out,  Mr.  Owen  !  That  snake  will  jump 
six  feet,  and  bite  as  quick  as  a  flash,"  screamed 
Chloe. 


280  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  There  he  is,"  said  Hop  Tossford,  when  we  were 
within  twenty  feet  of  the  reptile. 

He  was  coiled  up  in  a  heap,  and  looked  like  a 
very  large  snake.  He  was  shaking  all  over,  ap 
parently  with  anger  at  being  disturbed  by  our 
approach ;  and  it  was  this  motion  that  shook  the 
rattles  in  his  tail.  While  we  were  looking  at  him 
he  made  a  leap  which  brought  him  within  twelve 
or  fourteen  feet  of  us,  and  again  coiled  himself  up 
for  another  spring.  Owen  aimed  his  gun,  and 
fired  into  the  centre  of  the  coil.  The  rattlesnake 
whirled  and  wriggled  for  a  moment,  and  then  lay 
still.  We  could  see  that  his  head  had  been  torn 
all  to  pieces  by  the  shot,  and  he  was  as  dead  as  it 
was  possible  for  a  snake  to  be.  We  straightened 
him  out,  and  found  that  he  was  six  feet  long. 
When  positively  assured  that  he  was  dead,  the 
ladies  came  up  and  examined  him.  But  he  was 
not  a  pleasant  sight  to  look  upon,  and  a  glance  or 
two  satisfied  them.  They  wanted  no  more  flowers, 
and  insisted  upon  going  on  board  at  once. 

As  we  started  for  the  boat,  we  met  a  gentleman 
coming  down  the  path  from  the  house  to  the 
landing.  He  proved  to  be  the  owner  of  the  plan 
tation,  who  had  come  down  to  see  what  steamer 
was  at  the  wharf.  He  invited  us  to  his  house,  and 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  281 

would  be  delighted  to  have  us  stay  a  week ;  but 
we  felt  obliged  to  decline  the  invitation  with  many 
thanks. 

"  I  should  not  dare  to  stay  here  even  a  day," 
said  Miss  Margie. 

"Why  not,  miss?"  asked  the  gentleman,  who 
was  a  native  of  South  Carolina. 

"Mr.  Garningham  has  just  killed  a  monstrous 
rattlesnake ;  and  I  should  be  afraid  of  my  life  to 
stay  where  they  are,"  replied  the  English  maiden. 

"  ~\Ve  don't  mind  them  at  all,"  replied  the  gen 
tleman,  laughing.  "  I  have  lived  here  ten  years, 
and  not  one  of  our  people  has  ever  been  bitten  by 
a  rattlesnake.  In  fact,  I  hardly  ever  heard  of 
such  a  thing  as  any  one  being  bitten  by  a  rattle 
snake.  There  are  three  times  as  many  deaths 
from  suicide  in  the  South,  as  from'  the  bites  of 
moccasins  and  rattlesnakes  put  together.  You  get 
used  to  them  in  a  little  while,  and  don't  mind  any 
thing  more  about  them  than  you  do  the  mocking 
birds  that  sing  day  and  night." 

"  I  don't  like  them  at  all,"  added  Miss  Margie. 

"I  can't  fay  that  I  like  them,"  continued  the 
gentleman.  "I  make  a  business  of  killing  them 
when  I  come  across  them.  I  have  no  doubt  the 
snake  you  killed  was  the  one  that  came  into  my 


282  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

house  the  other  day.  We  had  a  big  hunt  for  him, 
and  couldn't  find  him ;  and  I  am  very  much 
obliged  to  the  gentleman  that  shot  him.  Very 
likely  we  shall  not  see  another  one  for  a  year." 
The  gentleman  walked  with  us  to  the  landing, 
and  waited  there  till  the  Wetumpka  was  out  of 
sight.  At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  entered 
Lake  Griffin,  which  I  judged  to  be  about  ten 
miles  long,  and  moored  at  Leesburg  in  season  for 
supper.  This  place  is  the  county-town  of  Sumter 
County,  and  the  head  of  navigation  by  the  Ockla- 
waha.  One  end  of  the  town  was  on  Lake  Hawkins, 
and  there  were  a  dozen  lakes  within  a  few  miles 
of  it.  We  found  nothing  very  different  from  what 
we  had  seen.  Our  sportsmen  brought  in  large 
quantities  of  small  game,  upon  which  we  feasted, 
and  we  sailed  about  the  lake,  exchanging  hospi 
talities  with  the  people  who  treated  us  like  old 
friends. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES   IN   FLORIDA.  283 


CHAPTER  XXVm. 

AN    EXPEDITION    TO    INDIAN    RIVER. 

A  FTER  spending  three  days  at  Leesburg,  we 
-L\.  started  on  Friday  noon,  March  22,  as  I  find 
it  in  my  diary,  which  I  kept  in  place  of  the  log 
book  of  the  Sylvania,  on  our  trip  down  the  river. 
In  order  to  get  the  fullest  idea  of  travelling  on 
the  Ocklawaha,  Cobbington  rigged  out  the  sheet 
iron  pans,  with  which  the  boat  was  provided  for 
burning  light  wood,  and  other  combustibles  that 
wTould  give  a  bright  blaze,  and  the  run  was  con 
tinued  till  midnight.  The  effect  was  exceedingly 
picturesque ;  and  the  ladies,  wrapped  in  their 
shawls  and  water-proofs,  were  delighted  with  the 
view  of  the  forest,  illuminated  by  the  bright  fires. 
The  trees,  the  trailing  moss,  and  the  openings  in 
the  woods  assumed  weird  shapes,  and  the  alliga 
tors  were  as  frisky  as  though  they  were  attending 
a  grand  ball. 

At  midnight,  the  ladies  began  to  yawn,  and  had 
evidently  seen  enough  of  the  dazzling  spectacle ; 


284  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

and  the  boat  was  moored  to  a  tree  for  the  rest  of 
the  night.  At  daylight  we  were  moving  again, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  forenoon  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  and  ran  alongside  of  the  Syl- 
vania.  We  found  our  ship-keepers  in  good  con 
dition  ;  but  both  of  them  wanted  to  go  with  us  up 
the  St.  Johns,  and  I  had  not  the  heart  to  refuse 
them.  I  hired  a  reliable  man  to  take  charge  of 
the  Sylvania,  and  on  Monday  morning,  at  day 
light,  we  began  the  trip. 

"  I  don't  think  we  want  to  stop  at  all  these 
towns  on  the  river,"  said  Owen,  who  put  in  an 
appearance  on  deck  about  six,  with  Colonel  Shep- 
ard.  "We  have  seen  enough  of  the  little  places, 
and  I  dare  say  there  is  nothing  but  a  shop  and  a 
post-office  at  any  of  them." 

"Just  as  you  please,"  I  replied.     "We  can  be 

at  the  head  of  navigation  on  this  river  to-night,  if 

you  say  so.     But  we  are  just  going  into  Lake 

"George,  and  I  think  you  had  better  call  the  ladies, 

for  I  am  told  the  scenery  is  very  fine." 

But  the  ladies  began  to  come  out  of  their  room 
before  we  had  time  to  call  them.  The  lake  was 
simply  a  widening  of  the  river  for  eighteen  miles 
to  a  breadth  of  twelve  miles.  It  was  not  very 
different  from  the  lower  St.  Johns,  except  that  it 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  285 

was  studded  with  islands,  and  was  twice  its  width. 
On  the  largest  of  the  islands  is  an  extensive  or 
ange-grove.  As  there  were  no  difficulties  in  the 
navigation  of  the  lake,  Cornwood  called  Buck  to 
the  wheel,  and  joined  the  party  on  the  outer  deck. 
He  pointed  out  the  herons,  curlew,  cranes,  paro 
quets,  and  other  birds.  When  he  said  it  was  fine 
fishing  in  the  lake,  our  sportsmen  had  their  troll 
ing  lines  overboard.  Ten  fine  black  bass  were 
taken ;  and  at  "  seven  bells,"  a  portion  of  them 
were  on  the  breakfast  table.  We  all  took  our 
meals  at  the  same  table  on  the  Wetumpka,  though 
not  at  the  same  time. 

As  we  sat  in  front  of  the  pilot-house,  Cornwood 
pointed  out  all  the  objects  of  interest,  and  named 
the  towns  we  passed.  But  nature  was  more  to  our 
taste  than  any  village,  after  we  had  obtained  an 
idea  of  the  average  town  in  Florida.  We  did  not 
stop  all  day  long,  except  to  run  into  the  stream 
that  flows  from  Blue  Spring,  to  note*  the  marvel 
lous  clearness  of  the  water.  At  four  in  the  after 
noon  we  passed  into  Lake  Monroe,  which  is  the 
head  of  navigation.  On  it  are  located  the  three 
towns  of  Sanford,  Mellonville,  and  Enterprise,  at 
the  last  of  which  we  made  a  landing.  This  place 
I  had  heard  spoken  of  as  the  "  paradise  of  sports- 


286  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

men,"  and  the  headquarters  of  all  who  desire  to 
hunt  and  fish  in  this  part  of  the  state. 

For  a  change,  the  passengers  went  on  shore  and 
stopped  at  the  Brock  House  over  night.  Corn- 
wood  went  with  them,  but  he  returned  about  nine 
o'clock.  I  was  reading  some  letters  I  had  ob 
tained  at  the  post-office ;  but  none  came  from  my 
father,  and  I  had  become  quite  anxious  about  him. 

"What  do  your  passengers  wish  to  do,  cap 
tain  ? "  asked  Cornwood,  as  he  joined  us  in  the 
cabin. 

,  "  They  intend  to  hunt  and  fish  a  few  days  ;  and 
they  want  to  get  at  it  to-morrow  morning,"  I  re 
plied. 

"  There  is  not  much  game  about  here,  I  am  told. 
I  have  talked  with  several  of  the  old  guides,  and 
they  say  this  part  of  the  country  has  been  hunted 
out,"  continued  Cornwood. 

"Where  shall  we  go,  then?" 

"  I  find  there  have  been  heavy  rains  down  south 
of  us,  and  that  the  streams  are  high.  We  can 
certainly  go  as  far  as  Lake  Harney,  and  perhaps 
thirty  or  forty  miles  farther.  That  would  bring 
us  to  a  country  where  the  sportsmen  seldom  go ; 
and  there  you  will  find  plenty  of  deer,  wild  tur 
keys,  and  ducks.  But  I  want  to  show  you  some 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  287 

better  fishing  than  you  have  seen  in  Florida,  or  in 
any  other  place." 

"  Where  shall  that  be  ?  "  I  asked,  curiously. 

"  In  the  salt  water." 

"  In  the  salt  water !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  Certainly 
you  can't  get  to  the  salt  water  in  the  Wetumpka." 

"  We  cannot ;  but  if  we  can  get  seven  or  eight 
miles  above  Lake  Harney,  as  I  think  we  can,  we 
may  cross  the  land  to  Titusville,  on  Indian  River. 
There  we  can  find  boats,  and  do  some  of  the  big 
gest  fishing  you  ever  heard  of,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  shooting." 

"  How  far  is  it  across  the  land  ?  "  I  inquired. 

"Not  more  than  nine  or  ten  miles." 

"We  can  walk  that  distance  easy  enough." 

"The  ladies  can't  walk  nine  miles." 

"  I  think  we  had  better  go  on  shore  and  consult 
Colonel  Shepard  and  Mr.  Garningham,"  I  added ; 
and  we  started  to  do  so. 

Our  passengers,  even  the  ladies,  were  enthusi 
astic  for  the  plan.  They  all  wanted  to  go  across 
to  the  salt  water.  Before  we  went  on  board  we 
had  engaged  four  mules  and  two  wagons,  which 
were  to  be  taken  on  board  of  the  steamer  the  next 
morning.  I  had  every  sort  of  fishing-tackle  in 
abundance,  and  both  the  colonel  and  Owen  had 


288  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

complete  outfits  of  rods  and  reels,  with  a  vast 
variety  of  lines,  hooks,  squids,  sinkers,  gaffs,  and 
landing-nets.  Each  of  them  had  two  sporting 
pieces,  and  all  the  equipments  of  a  hunter. 

Before  six  in  the  morning,  the  mules  appeared 
on  the  wharf,  drawing  the  wagons,  which  were 
nothing  but  "hay-riggings."  They  had  stakes  and 
rails,  so  that  seats  could  be  put  on  them.  Of 
course  the  mules  made  a  row  about  going  on 
board ;  but  they  went,  for  all  that.  "We  took  in 
an  abundance  of  forage  and  grain  for  them.  We 
did  not  consider  it  necessary  to  take  any  drivers, 
who  would  only  increase  the  load  for  the  mules. 
At  seven  the  passengers  appeared.  The  native 
guides  and  sportsmen  said  we  were  going  off  on  a 
"  wild  goose  chase  "  ;  to  which  Corn  wood  replied 
that  he  should  catch  the  goose  and  bring  him  back 
to  Enterprise.  I  rather  liked  his  pluck,  and  de 
termined  to  do  the  best  I  could  to  make  the  enter 
prise  a  success. 

We  were  under  way  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
had  no  difficulty  in  getting  to  Lake  Harney,  in 
which  the  water  was  not  more  than  three  feet  deep 
in  many  places.  But  that,  and  even  less,  was 
enough  for  us,  for  it  gave  one  foot  clear  under  the 
sterns  of  the  twin  boats. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  289 

"  Now  comes  the  tug  of  war,"  said  Cornwood, 
as  we  entered  the  river  above  the  lake.  "The 
water  looks  very  high  to  me,  but  the  bottom 
shifts.  Will  you  station  a  deck-hand  on  each  side 
of  the  boat  to  sound,  captain  ?  " 

I  went  down  to  the  main  deck,  and  placed  Buck 
on  one  side,  and  Hop  on  the  other.  They  were 
provided  with  poles,  marked  off  in  feet.  I  had 
seen  them  used  by  other  boats  on  the  Ocklawaha, 
and  so  had  the  deck-hands.  The  poles  were  ten 
feet  long,  but  they  were  to  report  no  depths  above 
four  feet ;  for  if  we  had  four  feet,  it  made  no  dif 
ference  how  much  deeper  the  water  was. 

"  No  bottom ! "  called  both  of  them,  for  some 
time  ;  then,  "Four  feet." 

"  Three  feet !  "  shouted  Hop,  when  we  had  gone 
about  two  miles. 

Cornwood  rang  the  speed  bell,  and  the  boat 
slowed  down  to  five  miles  an  hour. 

"Two  feet  and  a  half!  "cried  Buck,  the  next 
moment. 

The  pilot  rang  the  gong,  for  there  was  not  more 

than  six  inches  of  water  under  the  stern.     The 

Wetumpka  continued  to  go  ahead.     The  pilot  did 

not  ring  to  back  the  paddle-wheel,  and  the  deck- 

19 


290  DOWN  SOUTH  ;    OR, 

hands  both  reported  two  feet  and  a  half,  several 
times  in  succession. 

"  A  stream  comes  in  there,"  said  Corn  wood, 
pointing  to  the  mouth  of  a  creek  on  the  left  bank  ; 
"  that  run  of  water  has  made  a  shoal  Jiere." 

"  Three  feet ! "  called  Hop ;  and  the  same  call 
was  repeated  by  Buck ;  and  the  pilot  rang  to  go 
ahead  at  full  speed. 

In  a  short  time  it  was  "  No  bottom  "  again  ;  and 
we  went  along  very  nicely  for  about  five  miles. 
Here  we  had  to  slow  down  again,  and  then  stop 
her.  The  deck-hands  got  down  to  two  feet  and  a 
half.  When  Hop  said  two  feet,  Cornwood  rang 
to  back  her.  This  was  the  draft  of  the  boat  aft. 
One  of  the  flat-boats  which  were  stowed  away  aft, 
and  which  we  had  had  no  occasion  to  use  before, 
was  put  into  the  water,  and  with  Buck  I  went 
ahead,  with  a  sounding-pole  in  my  hand.  I  fol 
lowed  the  two  feet  depth  for  about  a  rod,  and 
then  came  to  three  feet,  and  soon  after  to  "  no 
bottom."  I  shouted  to  the  pilot  the  result  of  my 
examination  of  the  stream,  and  Buck  pulled  back 
to  the  steamer.  We  got  on  board  and  made  fast 
the  painter  of  the  flat-boat,  letting  it  tow  astern, 
for  we  might  soon  need  it  again. 

Cornwood  ran  the  Wetumpka  back  for  some 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  291 

distance,  and  then  went  ahead  at  full  steam.  If 
the  boat  stuck,  he  intended  to  force  her  over  the 
shoal,  which  was  not  more  than  a  rod  in  breadth. 
She  went  over  without  even  scraping  the  sand. 
If  she  had  been  loaded  with  freight,  she  could 
have  gone  no  farther.  After  going  a  couple  of 
miles  more,  the  pilot  ran  the  boat  up  to  the  shore, 
which  was  almost  the  only  place  we  had  seen  for 
miles  where  the  banks  of  the  river  were  not 
swampy,  with  the  roots  of  the  bushes  under 
water.  It  was  a  pine  forest  on  the  eastern  shore, 
with  no  underbrush. 

"This  looks  like  the  right  place,"  said  Corn- 
wood,  after  he  had  directed  the  deck-hands  to 
carry  the  bow  fasts  ashore  and  catch  a  turn  around 
the  trees.  Then  he  looked  about  him,  as  if  he  was 
trying  to  identify  the  place.  "  I  wish  I  had  the 
latitude,"  he  added. 

"  We  can  give  you  that,  for  I  have  my  instru 
ments  in  my  room.  I  brought  them  because  I 
was  afraid  they  might  be  stolen,"  I  replied. 

I  got  the  instruments,  and  took  an  observation 
from  the  hurricane-deck  of  the  steamer;  and 
Washburn  figured  it  up.  "  28°  37'  55","  said  the 
mate,  when  he  had  completed  and  verified  his  cal 
culation. 


292  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

"  That's  it,  almost  to  a  hair  line,"  said  Corn- 
wood,  laughing.  "Parallel  section  line  21  runs 
through  Titusville.  We  are  in  east  section  33, 
and  south  section  21.  We  are  all  right,  and  you 
may  land  your  mules." 

He  referred  to  the  land  sections  of  the  state,  of 
which  I  had  no  knowledge.  We  laid  down  the 
planks,  and  got  the  mules  ashore,  and  then  the 
wagons.  It  was  only  ten  o'clock,  and  we  wished 
to  reach  our  destination  by  noon.  In  a  few  min 
utes,  our  hands,  under  the  direction  of  the  pilot, 
succeeded  in  harnessing  the  mules  to  the  wagons. 
We  put  six  persons  in  each,  with  their  bags  and 
sporting  apparatus.  All  hands  wanted  to  go  with 
us,  but  we  could  not  take  any  of  them.  We  had 
the  same  sand  for  roads  as  in  the  streets  of  Jack 
sonville.  Cornwood  drove  one  team,  and  I  drove 
the  other.  Half  a  mile  from  the  river,  we  found 
a  settler  in  a  log  house,  who  seemed  to  be  greatly 
astonished  at  our  sudden  appearance,  and  insisted 
on  knowing  how  we  got  there.  We  told  him,  and 
in  reply  he  informed  us  that  the  woods  were  full  of 
game,  and  no  sportsman  had  been  that  way  for  a  year. 

We  reached  our  destination  at  noon.  Titusville 
consisted  of  only  a  few  houses ;  but  the  party 
were  gladly  taken  in  by  the  settlers. 


YACHT   ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  293 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

A   MYSTERIOUS    SHOT. 

INDIAN  RIVER,  Halifax  River,  Mosquito  La 
goon,  and  half  a  dozen  rivers,  sounds,  lagoons, 
lakes,  and  inlets  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Florida, 
are  different  names  for  the  same  shallow  body  of 
water,  separated  from  the  main  ocean  by  a  narrow 
strip  of  sand,  which  extends  north  and  south  for 
two  hundred  miles.  Indian  River  extends  from 
about  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Titusville  to  the 
inlet,  a  distance  of  one  hunched  miles.  But  Banana 
River  and  Mosquito  Inlet  are  separated  from  it 
only  by  Merritt's  Island,  so  that  these  bodies  of 
water  overlap  each  other.  The  water  in  these 
inlets  is  often  not  more  than  three  feet  deep,  so 
that  no  large  vessels  can  navigate  them. 

A  few  years  ago  a  company  was  formed,  having 
for  its  purpose  the  deepening  of  the  upper  St. 
Johns  as  far  as  Lake  Washington,  about  forty 
miles  south  of  the  point  where  the  Wetumpka  lay, 
and  cutting  a  canal  across  to  Indian  River,  not 


294  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

more  than  eight  miles.  No  progress,  however, 
seems  to  have  been  made  in  the  enterprise. 

"We  found  three  cat-rigged  boats  at  Titusville, 
which  we  had  no  difficulty  in  procuring.  The 
ladies  would  not  allow  us  to  leave  them  at  the 
settlement,  though  Cornwood  intimated  that  we 
might  have  a  rough  time  of  it.  Mr.  Garbrook, 
Cornwood,  and  myself  served  as  skippers,  and  we 
were  all  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  business. 
The  boats  were  about  the  size  of  the  Lakcbird,  in 
which  I  had  voyaged  in  the  roughest  weather  of 
Lake  St.  Clair ;  and  as  we  had  only  four  persons 
in  each  boat,  we  were  not  crowded.  I  had  Colonel 
Shepard,  Mr.  and  Miss  Tiffany  in  the  boat  with 
me. 

Our  first  business  was  to  obtain  a  supply  of 
bait,  which  was  easily  procured  with  our  landing- 
nets,  and  consisted  of  small  mullet  and  other  little 
fish,  which  had  to  be  kept  alive.  The  ladies  were 
in  excellent  spirits,  and  even  Mrs.  Shepard,  who 
had  been  an  invalid  for  years,  entered  fully  into 
the  spirit  of  the  occasion.  When  I  first  met  this 
lady  in  Portland,  she  was  hardly  able  to  move 
without  assistance ;  but  latterly  she  seemed  to 
need  no  aid  from  any  one.  She  had  taken  part  in 
all  our  frolics  and  excursions,  and  her  appetite  was 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  295 

equal  to  that  of  any  person  in  the  party.  But  no 
one  could  be  sick  in  such  a  delicious  climate  as  this 
was,  for  we  spent  all  our  time  in  the  open  air. 

Our  fishing  was  to  be  done  mainly  by  trolling, 
and  as  soon  as  we  had  our  bait,  Colonel  Shepard 
had  a  mullet  on  one  of  his  approved  squids.  We 
had  a  six-knot  breeze,  and  I  had  to  attend  to  the 
tiller.  The  bait  was  hardly  in  the  water  before 
the  Colonel  began  to  tug  at  his  line.  I  saw  a  large 
fish  break  in  the  water,  a  hundred  feet  from  the 
boat,  and  "cut  up"  in  the  most  extraordinary 
manner.  The  New  Yorker  labored  diligently  for 
some  time,  and  I  luffed  up  the  boat  in  order  to 
lessen  his  labors ;  but  before  he  got  the  fish  near 
enough  to  enable  us  to  see  what  he  was,  the  patent 
gear  snapped,  and  away  went  the  fish. 

I  had  provided  Mr.  Tiffany  with  a  line  from 
Lake  Superior,  and  he  had  a  fish  on  before  the 
Colonel  had  finished  his  labors  with  the  first  one. 
This  line  was  strong  enough  to  hold  anything  in 
the  water,  and  the  English  gentleman,  with  my 
assistance,  pulled  in  a  redfish,  or  spotted  bass, 
which  weighed  fourteen  pounds.  I  rigged  a  line 
for  Miss  Margie,  and  she  soon  brought  into  the 
boat  without  help,  which  she  would  not  allow  any 
one  to  give,  a  sea-trout,  similar  to  the  squeteague 


296  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

or  weakfish,  but  not  the  same  thing.  In  the  other 
boats  they  were  having  the  same  luck. 

Towards  night  we  began  to  pull  in  red  snappers 
from  six  to  twelve  pounds  in  weight.  They  were 
perfect  beauties,  vermilion  on  the  back,  the  color 
gradually  changing  to  pink  on  the  belly.  The 
Colonel  was  all  worn  out  with  his  exertions,  and 
he  was  glad  to  exchange  his  line  for  the  tiller  of 
the  boat,  and  J  took  a  hand  in  the  exciting  sport. 
But  we  were  catching  more  than  we  could  use,  and 
we  landed  at  a  settlement  called  Eau  Gallie  just 
before  dark,  where  we  were  glad  to  pass  the  night. 

We  stayed  two  days  longer  in  this  delightful 
region.  Every  time  we  went  out  fishing  we  aver 
aged  a  hundred  weight  of  fish  to  each  line.  "We 
sent  five  hundred  weight  across  to  the  Wetumpka, 
on  board  of  which  we  had  tons  of  ice,  to  be  packed 
for  future  use.  The  Colonel  was  sorry  to  leave 
such  magnificent  fishing,  and  Owen  declared  that 
he  would  spend  all  the  winters  of  the  rest  of  his 
life  in  the  southern  part  of  Florida. 

On  Thursday  morning  we  harnessed  up  our 
mule  teams,  and  started  across  the  land  for  the 
river.  At  the  end  of  the  week  we  were  to  finish 
our  trip  in  Florida ;  but  we  were  to  give  two  or 
three  (lays  to  hunting  in  the  vicinity  of  the  point 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  297 

where  the  steamer  lay.  On  our  way  back  through 
the  forest  we  saw  game  in  abundance.  On  our 
arrival  the  mules  were  picketed  in  the  woods,  for 
we  did  not  like  the  music  of  their  stamping  on  the 
planks  of  the  forward  deck.  We  reached  the  boat 
an  hour  before  dinner-time,  and  Gopher  had  red 
snapper  and  spotted  bass  in  a  variety  of  styles  for 
the  meal.  In  the  afternoon  the  gentlemen  took  to 
the  woods  with  their  sporting  gear,  but  I  remained 
to  escort  the  ladies  and  protect  them  from  rattle 
snakes  and  moccasins,  which  they  seemed  to  fear 
every  time  they  set  foot  on  shore.  But  we  did 
not  see  a  snake  of  any  kind  during  the  whole  time 
we  were  on  the  waters  of  the  upper  St.  Johns. 
At  three  o'clock  I  had  the  mules  harnessed  to  one 
of  the  wagons,  and  drove  the  ladies  several  miles 
into  the  forest ;  they  were  delighted  with  the 
excursion. 

On  my  return,  when  the  ladies  had  gone  up  into 
the  saloon,  I  went  aft  on  the  main  deck  to  take  a 
look  at  the  water.  The  steamer  was  moored  with 
her  head  to  the  shore,  so  that  her  stern  was  out  in 
the  river.  I  was  afraid,  as  we  had  had  no  rain  for 
some  days,  not  even  a  shower,  that  the  river  would 
fall  so  as  to  endanger  our  getting  over  the  shoal, 
two  miles  below,  where  we  had  not  had  more  than 


298  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

an  inch  to  spare  in  coming  up.  I  measured  the 
depth  where  I  had  done  it  every  day  I  had  been 
on  board  since  our  arrival,  and  I  found  it  was  two 
inches  lower.  I  was  rather  alarmed,  for  I  did  not 
like  the  idea  of  spending  several  weeks  in  this 
locality,  excellent  as  the  hunting  was,  for  I  knew 
that  the  party  would  soon  tire  of  it. 

While  I  stood  at  the  stern  thinking  of  it,  I 
heard  a  noise  which  I  thought  came  from  the 
inside  of  the  paddle-box.  I  listened  for  some  time 
but  did  not  hear  it  again,  and  I  concluded  that  a 
young  alligator,  or  some  other  water  animal,  had 
crawled  into  the  opening. 

I  started  to  return  to  the  stairs  which  led  from 
the  main  deck  forward  to  the  space  in  front  of  the 
saloon.  I  was  passing  between  two  piles  of  light- 
wood  on  my  way,  when  I  heard  the  report  of  a 
pistol.  A  bullet  whistled  uncomfortably  near  my 
head.  I  don't  claim  to  be  bullet-proof,  and  I  was 
startled  by  the  sound,  and  by  the  whizzing  of  the 
ball  so  near  my  head.  I  made  up  my  mind  on  the 
instant  that  the  shot  was  intended  for  me,  and  that 
my  life  was  in  actual  danger.  Buck  and  Hop  were 
attending  to  the  mules  on  shore,  and  I  saw  no  one 
on  the  lower  deck. 

Moses  Brickland  and  Ben  Bowman  were  in  their 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  299 

rooms,  and  I  called  them.  I  told  them  what  had 
happened.  They  had  heard  the  shot ;  but  some 
one  was  shooting  about  all  the  time  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  boat,  and  they  paid  no  attention  to  such 
sounds.  We  searched  every  part  of  the  lower 
deck,  even  opening  the  trap  into  the  paddle-box, 
made  to  allow  a  workman  to  get  in  when  repairs 
were  necessary.  We  could  find  no  person. 

"I  believe  this  steamer  is  haunted,  and  I 
wouldn't  sail  in  her  another  month  if  you  would 
give  her  to  me,"  said  Ben,  who  was  not  a  higiily- 
educated  person,  though  he  knew  a  steam-engine 
as  well  as  though  he  had  been  through  college. 
"  I  have  heard  all  sorts  of  noises  by  night  and  by 
day." 

"What  sort  of  noises,  Ben?"  I  asked  with 
interest,  not  that  I  was  impressed  with  the  idea 
that  the  Wetumpka  was  haunted. 

"Well,  footsteps  where  no  person  could  be 
found,"  replied  the  engineer.  "  Now,  you  say  you 
have  been  fired  at,  and  no  one  on  board  could  have 
done  it." 

"  I  don't  believe  ghosts  use  fire-arms,  Ben,"  I 
added,  as  I  saw  Cornwood  come  on  the  forward 
deck. 

lie  had  been  hunting  with  the  sportsmen,  to 


300  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR,      ' 

assist  them  with  his  knowledge  of  the  game  of  the 
country.  The  moment  he  saw  us  he  hastened  aft, 
and  asked  me  what  the  matter  was.  As  we  had 
not  exhibited  to  him  the  evidences  that  anything 
was  the  matter,  I  was  rather  surprised  at  the 
question. 

"  Nothing  is  the  matter,  except  that  a  shot  was 
fired  at  me  a  little  while  ago,"  I  replied,  as  though 
it  were  a  matter  of  not  much  consequence. 

"I  think  you  are  mistaken,"  he  replied  very 
promptly. 

"  How  could  I  be  mistaken  when  the  ball  whistled 
by  my  head?"  I  demanded. 

"  It  might  not  have  been  within  ten  feet  of  your 
head,  though  it  sounded  as  though  it  were  within 
a  few  inches.  I  shot  a  wild  turkey  as  I  came  up, 
and  I  fired  in  the  direction  of  the  steamer.  It  oc 
curred  to  me  that  the  ball  might  have  gone  through 
her,  and  I  confess  that  I  was  very  careless,"  re 
plied  Corn  wood. 

"  I  think  you  were,  extremely  careless,"  I  added 
coldly. 

"But  I  am  sure  the  ball  could  not  have  gone 
within  ten  feet  of  you,  or  I  should  have  seen  you," 
protested  the  guide. 

"Where  is  the  turkey  you  shot? "asked  Ben, 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  301 

who  appeared  to  have  some  doubts  in  regard  to 
the  truth  of  the  story. 

"  I  threw  him  down  on  the  forecastle  as  I  came 
on  board,"  answered  Cornwood. 

We  walked  to  that  part  of  the  steamer,  and 
there  lay  the  wild  turkey,  as  handsome  a  bird  as  I 
had  ever  seen.  This  evidence,  satisfied  me,  for  as 
the  Floridian  had  never  failed  to  do  anything  he 
promised,  or  disappointed  the  party  in  regard  to 
fish  and  game,  he  was  in  high  favor  with  all  on 
board,  at  least  with  those  in  the  cabin. 

"  Colonel  Shepard  and  Mr.  Garningham  have 
shot  no  end  of  deer  and  wild  turkey,  and  they 
have  stacked  the  game  about  two  miles  from  the 
landing,"  continued  the  guide.  "  They  have  more 
than  we  could  bring,  and  I  volunteered  to  come 
up  for  a  mule  team." 

ct  Buck  and  Hop  are  taking  care  of  the  pair  we 
used  this  afternoon ;  you  can  take  the  others,"  I 
replied. 

Cornwood  went  on  shore,  and  in  a  short  tune  I 
saw  him  drive  down  the  shore  into  the  woods. 

"  Do  you  believe  that  story  about  the  wild  tur 
key  ?"  asked  Ben,  when  Cornwood  had  gone  ashore. 

"I  see  no  reason  to  disbelieve  it,"  I  replied, 
looking  with  interest  at  the  engineer. 


302  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"Do  you?  Well,  I  don't ;  and  I  didn't  believe 
it  when  he  told  it,"  replied  Ben,  as  he  pointed 
with  his  jack-knife  at  a  place  in  the  wild  turkey 
which  he  had  partly  dissected.  "  Do  you  see 
that?" 

"I  do  not  see  anything  but  blood  and  meat,"  I 
answered. 

"  You  don't !  Well,  there  is  the  ball  that  whis 
tled  within  ten  feet  of  your  head  when  you  were 
walking  on  the  main  deck." 

Ben  Bowman  applied  his  knife-blade  to  the 
turkey,  and  pried  out  the  bullet,  which  had  lodged 
against  the  breastbone. 

I  took  it  in  my  hand.  If  his  story  was  true, 
this  was  not  the  ball  that  passed  near  my  head. 
We  made  another  search  for  the  man  who  had 
fired  at  me,  but  we  looked  in  vain. 


YACHT  ADVENTURES  IX  FLORIDA.      303 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

SHOOTING   IN   THE   FOREST   AND   BEING   SHOT. 

BEFORE  supper-time,  the  mule  team  came  in 
with  a  load  of  game.  Washburn  had  gone 
out  with  the  sportsmen  this  time,  for  during  my 
absence  he  would  not  leave  the  steamer  for  a  mo 
ment.  I  counted  seventeen  deer,  the  smallest 
kind  I  had  ever  seen,  and  twenty-one  wild  tur 
keys.  The  next  day  the  sport  was  resumed,  and 
I  joined  the  party.  At  the  suggestion  of  Colonel 
Shepard,  we  took  a  couple  of  landing-nets,  though 
what  for  I  could  not  imagine.  But  we  had  not 
gone  half  a  mile  before  I  discovered  the  use  of 
them. 

The  woods  were  full  of  young  quails,  which  in 
the  South  are  called  partridges,  the  latter  taking 
the  name  of  pheasants.  These  quails  ran  in  flocks 
of  a  dozen  or  less,  and  with  the  landing-nets  we 
could  cover  the  whole  brood.  We  gathered  them 
up,  and  put  them  into  a  large  basket,  with  a 
cover,  which  we  had  brought  with  us  for  the  pur 
pose. 


304  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

We  went  several  miles  farther  south  than  the 
party  of  the  day  before  had  gone ;  and  the  shoot 
ing  was  so  abundant  as  to  be  ft  rather  too  much  of 
a  good  thing."  Before  noon  we  had  all  we  wanted, 
and  it  seemed  to  be  wicked  to  shoot  any  more. 
The  sportsmen  from  Enterprise  had  not  been  up 
as  far  as  this,  and  the  game  had  hardly  ever  been 
disturbed  in  its  haunts. 

I  was  tired  of  the  sport  before  the  others,  and  I 
started  back  for  the  mule  team  about  eleven.  I 
was  within  two  miles  of  the  landing,  as  I  judged, 
for  we  had  to  estimate  all  our  distances,  when  I 
heard  the  crack  of  a  revolver  or  a  rifle.  At  the 
same  instant  I  felt  a  burning  sensation  in  the  back 
of  the  neck.  I  placed  my  hand  upon  the  place, 
and  found  that  a  ball  had  just  grazed  it.  My 
hand  was  covered  with  blood  when  I  removed  it. 

I  expected  another  shot  would  follow  immedi 
ately,  and  I  raised  my  gun,  which  was  loaded  with 
ball,  and  looked  about  me.  I  deemed  it  prudent 
to  dodge  behind  a  magnolia,  of  which  there  was 
an  occasional  one  in  the  forest.  I  could  judge 
from  the  situation  of  the  wound  on  my  neck  from 
what  direction  the  ball  had  come.  My  getting 
behind  the  tree  had  deranged  the  calculations  of 
the  intended  assassin.  He  stood  at  a  distance  of 


YACHT    ADVENTURES   IN   FLORIDA.  305 

not  more  than  sixty  feet  from  me,  pointing  a  rifle 
towards  me. 

It  was  Griffin  Leeds. 

Though  I  could  have  shot  him,  I  preferred  to 
be  killed  rather  than  to  kill.  But  before  I  could 
do  anything,  or  even  consider  what  to  do,  another 
actor  appeared  on  the  stage.  I  saw  Griffin  Leeds 
look  behind  him  once,  as  though  he  feared  an  in 
terruption,  and  doubtless  he  heard  the  step  of  the 
third  person.  Until  the  stranger  was  close  upon 
the  octoroon,  I  had  not  seen  him.  In  the  soft 
sand  that  formed  the  soil  of  the  forest,  one  could 
hardly  hear  the  sounds  of  approaching  footsteps. 

The  stranger  stepped  from  behind  a  large  pine- 
tree,  and  before  I  had  recoveref^from  my  surprise 
at  his  appearance,  he  fell  upon  Griffin  Leeds,  han 
dling  him  with  an  ease  that  astonished  me.  He 
flung  him  on  the  ground  like  an  unclean  bird,  and 
then  pointed  his  own  rifle  at  his  head. 

It  was  entirely  safe  for  me  under  these  circum 
stances  to  leave  my  hiding-place,  and  I  walked 
towards  the  scene  of  the  last  encounter.  I  kept 
my  gun  in  position  for  use,  though  I  was  not  at 
all  inclined  to  fire  upon  a  human  being.  I  won 
dered  who  had  thus  interfered  to  save  me  from 
the  bullet  of  Griffin  Leeds.  Then  I  wondered 
20 


306  DOWN    SOUTH  ;     OR, 

how  Griffin  Leeds  happened  to  be  in  the  woods, 
miles  above  the  head  of  ordinary  navigation.  I 
thought  of  my  wound,  and  placed  my  hand  upon 
it.  It  was  beginning  to  feel  very  sore,  and  the 
blood  was  still  flowing  very  freely  from  it.  I 
bound  my  handkerchief  around  my  neck,  but  I 
found  it  difficult  to  cover  the  place. 

I  hard  been  shot  at  the  day  before.  Was  it  not 
probable  that  the  same  person  had  fired  both 
shots  ?  Then  I  thought  of  the  noise  I  had  heard 
while  I  was  measuring  the  depth  of  the  river. 
There  wras  some  hiding-place  in  the  after  part  of 
the  Wetumpka  which  wre  had  not  yet  discovered. 
In  that  place  ^Griffin  Leeds  had  been  concealed, 
perhaps  from  the  time  we  left  Welaka,  on  our 
trip  up  the  Ocklawaha.  This  seemed  to  me  to  be 
a  satisfactory  solution  of  this  part  of  the  mystery. 
I  was  so  well  satisfied  that  I  did  not  care  to  hear 
any  evidence  on  the  subject.  I  could  not  have 
understood  it  any  better  if  all  the  details  had  been 
given  to  me  under  oath. 

But  it  was  plain  enough  to  me  that  Griffin 
Leeds  could  not  have  existed  in  his  hiding-place 
for  nearly  two  weeks,  or  even  one,  without  the 
connivance  of  some  person  on  board.  Of  course 
that  person  was  Cornwt)od. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  307 

Who  was  the  stranger  that  interfered  to  save 
me  ?  I  concluded  he  was  some  hunter,  who  had 
taken  a  hand  in  the  affair  simply  from  the  love  of 
fair  play.  I  walked  towards  him,  and  soon  came 
near  enough  to  note  his  appearance.  He  wore  a 
long  beard,  and  was  dressed  in  a  common  travel 
ling  suit. 

"  Get  up,  you  villain !  "  said  the  stranger,  as  I 
approached. 

Griffin  Leeds  did  not  wait  for  a  second  com 
mand,  but  sprang  to  his  feet.  He  looked  at  me, 
and  he  saw  that  I  had  a  gun  in  my  hand.  I  aimed 
at  him. 

"  Take  your  hand  from  your  pocket !  "  I  called 
to  him. 

He  did  so ;  but  the  stranger  sprang  upon  him 
again.  Putting  his  hand  into  the  side-pocket  of 
his  sack-coat,  he  drew  from  it  a  small  revolver. 
Not  satisfied  with  this,  he  continued  the  search, 
and  took  from  another  pocket  a  knife  like  that  the 
wretch  had  attempted  to  use  on  board  of  the  Syl- 
vania.  He  was  then  satisfied  that  the  fellow  was 
entirely  disarmed. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  obliged  to  you  for  the  ser 
vice  you  have  rendered  me,"  I  began.  "This  is 
not  the  first  trouble  I  have  had  with  this  —  " 


308  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

"  Never  mind  that,  my  dear  3Uick,"  interposed 
my  deliverer. 

Before  I  had  an  opportunity  to  look  at  him 
again,  he  had  folded  me  in  his  arms  as  though  I 
were  a  little  girl,  instead  of  a  strapping  big  boy, 
weighing  one  hundred  and  fifty.  I  had  no  need 
to  conjecture  any  longer  who  my  deliverer  was. 
It  was  my  father. 

The  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks,  as  they  did 
down  mine  when  I  saw  them.  But  he  was  hardly 
changed  since  I  last  saw  him.  I  was  so  happy  at 
this  reunion  that  I  forgot  everything  else.  I  dare 
say  we  both  indulged  in  exclamations.  While  we 
were  using  them,  Griffin  Leeds  began  to  move  off. 
I  pointed  my  gun  at  him. 

"  Go  to  that  magnolia,  and  stand  on  this  side  of 
it :  and  if  you  attempt  to  run  away,  I  will  shoot 
you ! "  I  added ;  but  I  don't  think  I  meant  half 
of  it. 

The  octoroon  doggedly  obeyed.  I  looked  at 
my  father,  whom  I  had  supposed  to  be  dead  for 
months  of  the  period  that  had  separated  us.  He 
had  been  to  England  and  to  India  since  we  parted. 
I  had  roamed  thousands  of  miles,  believing  all  the 
time  that  I  was  earning  my  daily  bread. 

"  We  meet  at  last !  "  exclaimed  my  father.     "  I 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  309 

find  you  in  deadly  peril,  and  come  at  the  moment 
when  I  may  save  you  !  " 

"  I  was  shot  at  before  to-day ;  and  I  am  afraid  I 
have  a  traitor  on  either  hand  wherever  I  go  ;  "  and 
I  explained  in  as  few  words  as  possible  about  Corn- 
wood  and  Griffin  Leeds,  expressing  my  belief  that 
the  pilot  was  the  agent  of  Captain  Boomsby. 

"  That  old  villain  still  believes  I  am  dead,"  re 
plied  my  father.  "  I  went  into  his  saloon  in  Jack 
sonville,  but  he  did  not  know  me.  I  talked 
about  you ;  and  he  said  you  had  a  steamer  that 
belonged  to  him,  and  he  should  have  possession 
of  her  in  a  couple  of  weeks.  He  insisted  that  he 
was  your  guardian.  I  did  not  undeceive  him." 

"We  had  better  walk  back  to  the  steamer, 
father," — how  dear  the  name  sounded  to  me! 
"What  shall  we  do  with  that  fellow?"  I  pointed 
at  Griffin  Leeds. 

"  Let  him  march  ahead  of  us." 

We  started  Griffin  Leeds,  and  followed  him 
back  to  the  river.  On  the  way  I  told  my  father 
all  that  happened  since  I  came  to  Florida  in 
March,  including  my  suspicions  in  regard  to  Corn- 
wood,  and  the  evidence  I  had  against  him. 

"  Don't  think  any  more  about  him,  or  the  wretch 
ahead  of  us.  I  shall  take  command  of  this  expe- 


310  DOWN  SOUTH;   OR, 

dition  from  this  time  ;  and  you  Jmow  I  have  been 
a  major  in  the  English  army,"  said  my  father, 
smiling. 

"Why  didn't  you  write  to  me,  father?  It  is  a 
long  time  since  I  heard  a  word  from  you,"  I  asked. 

"  I  did  not  write  to  you  in  January  because  you 
were  away,  and  could  not  get  my  letters.  I  did 
not  write  to  you  in  February,  because  I  expected 
to  see  you  before  any  letter  could  reach  you.  I 
expected  to  be  in  Jacksonville  the  last  of  Febru 
ary  ;  but  when  I  was  half-way  to  New  York  the 
steamer  broke  her  shaft,  and  had  to  return  under 
sail.  It  was  the  8th  of  March  when  I  sailed  the 
second  time  from  Liverpool.  When  I  got  to 
Jacksonville,  I  heard  that  you  had  gone  on  a  trip 
up  the  river.  I  followed  to  Pilatka,  and  was  told 
that  you  had  gone  up  the  Ocklawaha.  I  took  the 
next  boat  for  that  river,  but  seeing  the  Sylvania  at 
Welaka,  I  made  further  inquiries,  and  learned 
that  you  had  gone  up  the  St.  Johns.  I  followed 
you  till  I  found  your  steamer.  I  saw  no  one  on 
board  that  I  knew,  but  a  man  told  me  you  were 
in  the  woods  hunting,  and  had  gone  south  of  the 
landing. 

"  I  started  to  find  you ;  and  went  along  till  I 
came  to  that  fellow  skulking  through  the  woods. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  311 

I  supposed  he  was  going  to  join  your  party,  and  I 
followed  him.  I  heard  the  crack  of  rifles  in  the 
distance,  about  the  time  I  first  saw  that  villain.  I 
concluded  it  was  the  firing  of  the  hunters.  Sud 
denly  this  man  raised  his  rifle  and  fired.  I  h:id 
not  seen  you  before.  You  know  what  happened 
then.  I  have  only  to  say,  Alick,  that  I  shall  not 
let  you  out  of  my  sight  again." 

"  I  hope  you  won't,  father." 

I  sent  Hop  Tossford  with  the  mules,  or  I  did 
not  care  to  leave  my  father  again.  AVe  went  on 
board  of  the  Wetumpka.  I  called  out  Moses, 
and  Ben,  who  knew  my  father.  They  were  glad 
to  see  him  for  my  sake,  if  not  for  their  own. 
Buck  tied  Griffin  Leeds  to  a  stanchion  on  the 
steamer,  for  we  had  driven  him  on  board  ahead  of 
us.  I  was  more  curious  than  ever  to  know  where 
the  "  ghost "  that  haunted  the  lower  deck  of  the 
Wetumpka  had  been  concealed. 

"Where  did  you  hide  on  board,  Griffin.'"  I 
asked. 

"  I  don't  answer  any  questions,"  he  replied,  in 

a  surly  tone. 

"All  right,"  I  replied,  and  taking  Ben  with  nu-, 
I  went  aft. 

The   paddle-box    extended    almost    the   whole 


312  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

width  of  the  boat ;  and  under  a  pile  of  rubbish, 
which  had  evidently  been  placed  there  to  conceal 
it,  was  a  scuttle,  leading  into  the  hold  of  the  port 
twin  boat.  Raising  this,  we  found  a  mattress 
from  one  of  the  berths,  a  blanket,  and  some 
dishes.  We  had  not  thought  of  the  holds  of  the 
twin  boats  before,  for  there  were  two  opening's 
near  the  great  gangway  into  them.  We_  had 
thrown  lightwood  down  into  them,  and  filled  them 
up.  We  had  not  therefore  supposed  it  possible 
for  any  one  to  get  into  these  holds.  Here  Griffin 
Leeds  had  lived,  and  Cornwood  had  carried  him 
his  meals. 

"I  think  that  is  the  best  place  for  him,"  said 
my  father,  after  he  had  looked  into  the  port  hold. 
"  Send  him  back  again,  and  set  a  .watch  over  the 
man  Cornwood." 

We  went  up  into  the  saloon  after  this  had  been 
done,  and  Miss  Margie  was  delighted  to  see  my 
father.  He  was  introduced  to  the  other  ladies  as 
Sir  Bent  Garningham.  About  one  o'clock,  the 
hunters  came  in  with  a  bigger  load  of  game  than 
on  the  day  before.  They  were  just  in  time  to 
escape  a  tremendous  thunder-shower,  for  the  rain 
began  to  fall  in  torrents  about  the  time  they  en 
tered  the  cabin.  Owen  was  rather  embarrassed 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  313 

when  he  saw  my  father,  who  however  extended  to 
him  a  cordial  greeting.  Nothing  was  said  about 
the  occurrences  of  the  past. 

Our  dinner  that  day  was  composed  entirely  of 
the  fish  and  game  procured  by  our  sportsmen. 
We  had  venison  in  various  dishes,  and  roast  tur 
key  of  the  finest  quality.  .  While  we  were  eating, 
the  rain  beat  down  in  sheets  upon  the  deck  over 
our  heads.  The  lightning  was  terrific,  and  we 
heard  it  strike  several  times  in  the  forest.  For 
two  hours  it  poured,  and  then  the  sun  came  out, 
and  brightened  up  the  dripping  scene. 

"  I  found  this  rifle  in  the  woods,"  said  Wash- 
burn,  taking  the  piece  from  his  state-room,  where 
he  had  put  it  when  he  came  in. 

"  That  was  the  one  with  which  Griffin  Leeds 
fired  at  me,"  I  replied.  "I  forgot  all  about  it, 
and  left  it  on  the  ground.  Whose  is  it?" 

He  showed  it  to  several,  and  at  last  to  Corn- 
wood.  He  hesitated ;  but  finally  said  it  was  his, 
and  he  had  left  it  in  the  woods  when  the  team 
came.  Inquiry  proved  that  he  had  taken  no  rillc 
with  him.  He  had  no  doubt  lent  it  to  Griffiii 
Leeds. 

We  were  to  have  stayed  at  this  landing  one  day 
longer,  but  when  I  told  Owen  and  Colonel  Shep- 


314  DOWN  SOUTH;    OR, 

ard  that  the  river  had  fallen  two  inches  in  the 
morning,  they  decided  that  it  would  not  be  safe  to 
remain  any  longer.  The  shower  must  have  raised 
the  river  a  little ;  and  if  we  went  at  once,  we 
might  get  over.  I  ordered  the  mules  to  be  taken 
on  board ;  and  as  soon  as  they  and  the  wagons 
were  shipped,  I  intimated  to  Corn  wood  that  we 
were  ready  to  resume  our  trip.  To  my  astonish 
ment  he  protested  against  going,  and  declared 
there  would  be  no  difficulty  about  the  water.  We 
had  no  idea,  he  insisted,  of  the  game  in  the 
woods. 

"  Cast  off  the  fasts ! "  I  shouted  to  the  deck 
hands,  from  my  place  on  the  saloon  deck. 

Cornwood  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  woods, 
and  seemed  to  be  greatly  troubled.  He  evidently 
thought  his  agent  was  still  in  the  woods,  and  I 
was  not  disposed  to  undeceive  him.  The  deck 
hands  hauled  the  fasts  on  board,  and  the  boat  be 
gan  to  drift  down  the  river.  Very  reluctantly 
the  pilot  went  to  the  wheel,  and  after  some  ma 
noeuvring  got  the  "Wetumpka  headed  down  the 
river.  He  still  kept  one  eye  on  the  shore. 

My  father  had  dressed  my  wound  as  soon  as  we 
got  on  board.  It  was  not  much  more  than  a 
scratch,  though  it  made  my  neck  so  stiff  for  a 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IX    FLORIDA.  315 

couple  of  days  that  I  could  hardly  turn  it.  I  had 
it  bound  up,  and  just  as  the  boat  was  approaching 
the  shoal  place,  Cornwood  asked  me  what  ailed 
my  neck.  It  was  clear  enough  that  he  did  not 
know  what  had  transpired  in  the  woods. 

"In  accordance  with  the  plan  you  arranged  with 
Captain  Boomsby  before  you  came  on  board  of 
the  Sylvania,  I  have  been  shot,"  I  replied.  "  The 
ball,  instead  of  going  through  my  head,  only  grazed 
my  neck.  Your  man  is  a  very  bad  shot." 

"  My  man  !  Who  is  my  man  ?  "  demanded  Corn- 
wood.  But  I  saw  that  he  was  pale  under  the 
charge. 

"  Griffin  Leeds,  of  course,"  I  answered.  "  But 
you  have  managed  it  very  clumsily,  from  the  moc 
casin  down  to  the  shooting.  You  ought  to  have 
employed  a  man  that  could  hit  the  side  of  a  house 
at  sixty  feet." 

"  I  don't  understand  you,"  gasped  he. 

"Yes,  you  do.  But  the  game  is  up.  The 
gentleman  who  came  to-day  is  my  father,  and 
Captain  Boomsby  will  give  up  the  chase  as  soon 
as  he  sees  and  knows  him." 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 

about." 

"  Then  we  won't  talk  any  more,"  I  added,  re- 


316  DOWN  SOUTH;  OR, 

tiring  from  the  pilot-house  after  the  boat  had 
passed  over  the  doubtful  shoal,  which  the  rain  had 
rendered  harmless. 

At  seven  in  the  evening  we  reached  Enterprise, 
where  we  remained  overnight.  At  daylight  the 
next  morning,  before  any  of  our  passengers  were 
stirring,  we  started  down  the  river  again.  At  two 
in  the  afternoon  we  were  alongside  the  Sylvania. 
We  merely  put  Washburn,  Ben  Bowman,  Landy 
Perkins,  and  Hop  Tossford  on  board  of  her,  to 
run  her  down  to  Jacksonville,  and  kept  on  our 
way.  But  it  was  midnight  when  we  made  the 
wharf  of  the  company  that  owned  the  Wetumpka. 
Except  those  in  charge  of  the  steamer,  all  were 
asleep.  About  daylight,  the  Sylvania  anchored  in 
the  berth  she  had  occupied  before. 

Our  fish  and  game  which  had  been  kept  in  the 
extra  ice-house  were  in  excellent  condition.  I  sent 
my  share  to  the  Carlton  Hotel,  whose  proprietors 
had  been  polite  to  me.  I  had  handed  Griffin 
Leeds  over  to  the  police  on  our  arrival.  On 
Monday  morning  we  were  all  back  again  on  board 
of  the  Sylvania,  and  were  glad  enough  of  the 
change  into  her.  But  we  had  had  a  magnificent 
time  up  the  river;  all  hands  were  satisfied,  and 
ready  for  another  cruise. 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN    FLORIDA.  317 

Monday  was  the  first  day  of  April,  and  Owen 
came  on  board  to  settle  his  accounts.  He  insisted 
upon  paying  me  seven  hundred  dollars  for  thu 
month;  but  my  father  resented  the  proposition. 
He  allowed  me  to  take  the  amount  I  had  received 
the  month  before,  and  no  more. 

"Owen,  you  have  behaved  very  badly," said  my 
father  seriously. 

"  I  know  I  have,  uncle  ;  but  I  have  repented  it, 
and  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me,"  replied  Owen. 
"  The  nobleness  of  Alick  conquered  me,  and  I  am 
a  better  fellow  than  I  ever  was  before  in  my  life." 

"  I  have  heard  what  Alick  has  to  say  about  it ; 
and  so  far  as  the  past  is  concerned,  I  freely  forgive 
you  for  his  sake,"  added  my  father. 

"  I  was  led  away  by  Mr.  Carrington,"  pleaded 
Owen. 

"No  man  has  any  right  to  be  led  away  by  an 
other.  It  is  the  devil  in  his  own  heart  that  leads 
him  away,  and  not  another  man.  Owen,  you 
made  a  contract  with  my  son  when  he  thought  he 
had  nothing  in  the  world  but  this  steamer." 

" I  did ;  and  I  have  paid  all  I  agreed  to  pay." 

"And  been  extremely  liberal,  father,"  1  added. 

"I  find  no  fault;  but  I  annul  the  contrart,"  .-aid 
my  father.  "  My  son  shall  be  in  no  one's  employ, 
not  even  in  yours,  Owen." 


318  DOWN    SOUTH  ;    OR, 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  continue  the  arrangement 
to  the  end  of  the  year,"  replied  Owen. 

"  Xo ;  Alick  can  go  where  he  pleases  with  his 
yacht  from  this  day.  He  may  invite  whom  he 
pleases  to  go  with  him.  But  he  shall  be  under 
nobody's  authority  but  mine." 

I  was  as  much  astonished  at  the  decision  of  my 
father  as  Owen  could  be  ;  but  I  said  nothing,  and 
my  cousin  soon  went  on  shore,  for  he  was  staying 
at  the  house  of  Colonel  Shepard.  We  had  landed 
the  Garbrooks  at  Green  Cove  Springs,  where  their 
yacht  was  waiting  for  them. 

On  Tuesday  came  the  trial  of  Griffin  Leeds. 
Corn  wood's  defence  was  weak,  and  he  seemed  to 
have  no  pluck.  His  client  was  convicted  of  assault 
with  a  dangerous  weapon,  and  sentenced  to  five 
years ;  and  I  suppose  he  is  now  serving  in  some 
convict  gang.  Chloe  found  a  permanent  place 
with  the  Shepards.  Cornwood  left  for  St.  Augus 
tine  as  soon  as  the  trial  of  Griffin  Leeds  was 
finished.  My  father  and  I  called  at  the  saloon  of 
Captain  Boomsby,  merely  to  satisfy  him  that  I 
was  not  an  orphan,. and  that  it  would  be  useless 
for  him  to  enter  into  any  more  conspiracies.  I 
paid  Cornwood  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  ;  and 
I  don't  know  what  the  captain  paid  him,  but  I 


YACHT    ADVENTURES    IN   FLORIDA.  319 

think  nothing.  If  he  had  obtained  possession  of 
the  Sylvania,  he  might  have  collected  a  heavy  fee. 
As  a  pilot  and  guide  he  was  a  greater  success  than 
as  a  lawyer. 

My  story  is  told,  so  far  as  Florida  is  concerned, 
for  the  present,  though  I  did  not  believe  I  should 
be  able  to  pass  Indian  River  Inlet  without  running 
in  and  catching  a  few  of  those  redfish.  With  my 
newly-acquired  liberty  I  was  considering  where  to 
go  next,  and  whom  to  invite  to  go  with  me.  My 
father  spent  much  of  his  time  with  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Tiffany,  at  the  Carlton,  where  I  was  glad  to  meet 
Miss  Margie  as  often,  at  least,  as  once  a  day. 

The  future  was  still  an  open  question,  though  I 
liked  my  cousin  Owen  so  well  that  I  did  not  wi.-h 
to  think  of  parting  with  him.  I  was  certainly  in 
debted  to  him  for  the  pleasure  of  being  "Down 
South"  during  the  winter,  and  the  magnificent 
time  I  had  enjoyed  during  our  "  Yacht  Adventures 
in  Florida." 


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